A promise made, a promise kept
by GunMetalSnail429
Summary: After the Angel-infected Unit-03 brutally defeats Asuka and Rei, Shinji comes to a very serious realization. However, Zeruel will challenge everything he has come to feel and push him farther than any human should have to go...
1. Thunderstorm

Just a little forewarning for first time readers: This story contains numerous OOC elements, particularly regarding the pilots' personalities and relationships. Shinji is more confident, Asuka is less of a bitch and Rei is more open and social. The reasons for these changes are not explicitly stated in this story. I have an idea for another story that will delve into the events surrounding Rei's emergence from her shell. Whether this story gets written or not depends on how this story is received.

Anyway... Read, review, but most of all... Enjoy!

Promises.

There are certain promises that a person has to keep, if for no other reason than the people around them expect it. For example, if you say "I promise to repay you for this sandwich/meal/drink.. ...," then most people will generally bug you until you pay up. These are the general promises that we all make almost everyday. However, there is another level of promises that are rarely made, and, when they are, are adhered to with an unparalleled sense of responsibility. In this situation, instead of promising to repay someone for some sort of material favor, one person might promise to protect someone they love with everything they have, even if it means giving their own life in the pursuit of remaining true to the promise. These are Special promises. This story is focused on the latter of these two. More specifically, this story is focused on a promise made by a certain introvert to two of the people he cares the most about in his life. Two people, who, just like their hair colors, could not be more different. However, when a promise is made that carries as much weight as the one made to them, they may just find that they have much more in common than they previously thought, including their feelings towards a certain, shall we say... hedgehog among them...

_I promise..._

The Second Child opened her eyes and rolled over in her bed. Ever since the three of them had had that conversation several weeks before, she had been mulling it over and over in her head, often to the point of mental and physical exasperation.

She had found herself verbally expressing her frustration at not being able to force the memory out of her head. These expressions were usually in the form of profanities, and more often than not in German, so even if someone had been allowed close enough to hear her, they would have had no idea about the kind of foul pronouncements this 14 year old redhead was capable of.

The fact of the matter was, (and she would never, EVER admit this to ANYBODY), she felt a distinct feeling of comfort in hearing the words Shinji had spoken to them after the last Angel battle. After she had been brutally defeated at the hands of the Bardiel-infected Unit 03, she had sunk into a bit of a funk, and her synch ratios had steadily declined to less than exemplary levels.

Misato and Rei had been concerned about her, but she had yet to confide in them anything more than the occasional snippet of info relating to her feelings. Shinji, of course, had had even less luck, and his attempts to reach her often resulted in her fuming and him smarting from the Palm of Asuka laying its infamous vengeance down upon his cheek. Still, he tried again and again.

"_Just like he promised..." _Asuka thought to herself as she lay in bed, listening to the sounds of rain lightly tapping on the window of the room she shared with Ayanami.

"_Speaking of Ayanami_," her mind began, "_I wonder how she's taking all of this. I know we've taken leaps and bounds in terms of progress with her, but still... She's so quiet..." _

Even as these thoughts swam around in Asuka's mind, the figure in the other bed stirred and whimpered, as though she were having a nightmare. Asuka, hearing this, quietly got up and tip toed over. As she slowly leaned toward the First Child, Rei whimpered again and rolled over so that she was facing Asuka.

Instantly, Asuka knew her suspicions had been confirmed...

The First Child's features were set into the tell-tale signs of a night terror. Her eyelids were tightly scrunched closed and Asuka could see the movements of the red orbs beneath them, rapidly jumping back and forth as though she were following a fast moving target scurrying around in front of her.

Rei's lips were pressed into a frown with the lower lip sticking out slightly more than the other, quivering every time she would whimper. Asuka watched for several minutes, not sure if she should wake the sleeping girl, or if she should just go back to bed and let Rei's mind work the problems out itself.

She began to turn to go back when Rei began to softly speak in her sleep. Asuka, hearing this, turned back and leaned in closer to see if she could make out what was being said. All she could hear were small bits and pieces of what appeared to be a conversation between her and some other person.

Asuka, after listening for several minutes, still wasn't able to figure out who, though she had gleaned that Rei was calling for this person's help. Still unable to decide whether she should wake Rei up or not, Asuka continued to stand there, watching the poor girl suffer inside of her own head.

It was at this moment that Mother nature, as though sensing the redhead's indecision, decided to intervene in a rather spectacular fashion.

About a mile down the road, a communications tower, one of the hundreds that scattered the Tokyo-3 landscape, was struck by a massive bolt of lightning. Being so close to the Katsuragi/Ikari/Soryu/Ayanami residence, Asuka barely had time to comprehend that there had been a flash of light before the mountainous roll of thunder reached the apartment, causing everything to begin shaking as roll after roll of sound waves assaulted the complex.

Rei, who at this point had slowly begun to come out of her slumber, was shocked into full consciousness instantly by the barrage of sound filling the room. Her eyes flew open, her arms flew out, grabbing Asuka around the waist.

"IKARI!", she cried as she pulled the surprised redhead into a rather awkward embrace, with Rei's head burying itself into Asuka's stomach. Tears poured from her eyes and soft sobs began to release themselves from the shaking girl.

Asuka, instantly snapping out of her indecisive state, immediately adjusted her position so that she was at eye level with Rei, thus allowing the girl to bury her blue hair into Asuka's shoulder. The soft sobs slowly gave way to larger, body heaving cries as the First Child latched onto Asuka with all her might.

"Why did he have to do that? WHY?," she cried, and Asuka immediately knew to what and to whom she was referring.

"I don't know...," was the only thing that her brain would allow her to say at that particular moment. She had wondered the same thing over and over again hundreds if not thousands of times the past few weeks.

Why was Shinji always putting his life in danger to protect the both of them? Never mind the world, it was as though, when in battle, all he was focused on was protecting Unit-00 and Unit-02 and their (in his eyes at least) precious cargo. Even after all the hell and torment Asuka had given him when she had first arrived, and the cold, emotionless interactions that he had had with Rei (at least before they had managed to get her to break out of her shell), why did he constantly go back for more, just to help them?

He had been in the NERV infirmary for near to a week after the fight with Bardiel, and all he seemed to be concerned about was how Rei and Asuka were doing... constantly asking if they were healing well, if they needed anyone to talk to...

Asuka's train of thought was soon broken, however, by the sound of pounding feet in the hallway outside, followed by the all too familiar sound of the door to their room being thrown open with considerably more force than was needed.

Both girls turned to look and saw the Third Child standing, chest rising and falling as if he had just run a marathon, in their doorway with Misato trying to squeeze past him to get inside. Once she had succeeded, she immediately dropped to her knees beside the two girls and, placing her hands on both girls backs, asked what had happened.

Shinji, considerably more confident than before but still slightly awkward when it came to dealing with situations like this, slowly walked over and sat down on the other side of the trio and looked on.

"What happened?", asked Misato as she continued to gently rub the crying girls' back, "All I heard was the roar of the thunder and Rei screaming Shinji's name. At first I thought he might have snuck into the room and was trying something funny...,"

"Hey, I resent that remark," Shinji protested before he was cut off.

"...But, then I realized that their was a distinct tone of pleading in her voice, as though she were crying for help. Plus, I know my Shinji, and he wouldn't try something like that.," Misato finished, looking to the boy sitting across from her and smiling. Shinji, though pleased by Misato's defense of his character, turned beet-red nonetheless and began grinning sheepishly.

Rei, who at this point had managed to regain her composure and had let go of Asuka, began to speak.

"I'm not really sure what was happening... It was as though I was reliving the last Angel battle, only much worse... It was as though, after Ikari-kun had rescued us from Unit 03 and was carrying us to the Eva catapults...", she stopped as tears began to seep out of her eyes again as memories of the dream came bubbling back up to the surface.

Misato, reached over and took the girls hand in her own.

"Rei, it's okay... It was a dream... It wasn't real. Please, tell us what happened."

Rei swallowed, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and began again. "Like I said, Ikari was carrying us away from Unit-03 and towards the catapult, when I heard him scream in pain. I looked at the video feed from inside Unit-01's cockpit and saw him writhing in agony as Unit-03 reactivated and its arms ripped into Unit-01. But... It was more than just that... I saw... I saw..."

Rei stopped as fresh tears began to flow.

"Oh God... I saw..."

She was on the verge of breaking down when she felt a hand slide onto hers and squeeze gently. She looked up and saw that the hand belonged to the Third Child, who had silently moved closer as to be almost directly beside her. Feeling a sensation of warmth almost physically flowing from his hand to hers, she picked up where she had left off in her recount of the nightmare.

"As I watched Shinji's video feed, I saw small red splotches begin to form on the chest of his plugsuit. These spots began to grow with alarming speed, and soon began to push out against the material of the suit, all the while he continued to carry us farther and farther away from that monster. As soon as he reached the catapult, he carefully lowered our Eva's onto the platform and hit the descend button. As we plummeted towards headquarters, the video feed began to grow fuzzy. But before it went out completely, I watched the expanding red spots on his suit explode in a shower of blood and bone as miniature versions of Unit-03's arms broke through and began to strangle him... It was this point when the thunder hit and I was jolted awake, apparently screaming Shinji's name...," Rei finally finished.

As soon as the image of Shinji's chest being ripped open entered her mind once again, she began to lose it. Tears streamed down her face and dripped onto the fabric of her bedspread. She went to wipe them away, but her hand was blocked from her cheek by another hand, not hers, that was already wiping at them.

She looked and saw Shinji reaching to delicately remove the saline liquid that was streaking her pale skin. Her gaze moved to his face and she saw the smile that was in place and... and...

She lost it. Diving forward off of the bed, she wrapped her arms around his upper chest as the force of her movement sent them both sprawling backwards onto the floor. Asuka and Misato, who at this point had been completely engrossed in Rei's graphic description of her nightmare, gasped audibly before the shock wore off and they began to smile.

Shinji, who had been caught equally off guard, could only lay rigid as the weeping girl tried to bury herself in his chest. His shock soon wore off as well, and he returned the embrace while looking to Asuka and Misato for assurance that this was okay. After seeing their teary eyed smiles, he immediately knew he was doing the right thing, and began to slowly stroke Rei's hair while whispering quietly.

"It's okay, Rei...", he spoke gently, "You're fine... I'm fine... Asuka and Misato are fine, too... We're all okay..."

After a few minutes of this, he had managed to bring the girl back into control of all her faculties and asked if she was able to stand.

"Yes," she replied, and slowly lifted herself off of him, never letting completely go of his now tear soaked shirt. She turned to the other two people in the room and smiled, then wrapped each of them in a genuinely loving embrace.

Asuka, while having grown slightly accustomed to Rei's increasingly outgoing personality, was still caught off-guard by the sudden embrace, almost as much as she was when Rei grabbed her by the stomach just a few minutes before. She began to awkwardly return the embrace, before letting the natural flow of emotions take over and sinking comfortably into it.

Misato, Shinji and even Rei were surprised at how supportive the generally standoffish redhead was being. They supposed that after the events that transpired following Bardiel's attack, Asuka had maybe begun to lighten up a bit, so to speak. If this were the case, she would never directly tell them. As fate would have it, they had no idea how close they were to the truth...

"There... Isn't that better?", Misato suddenly spoke up, "Now that we've got all that noise out of the way, waddya say we all go back to sleep, huh? All three of you have a full day of synchro tests and combat drills tomorrow, and, after all, y'all are still a growing boy and girls."

She then turned to Rei and put on her best motherly voice.

"Rei, do you think you'll be fine? I can make Shinji sleep in the room with the two of you, if that would make you more at peace..."

The almost comically dissimilar reactions from the two genders represented almost caused Misato to chuckle. Shinji had stopped in mid-breath and was almost choking on his own tongue. His eyes grew in size by several orders of magnitude while his mouth could only hang open, slightly cock-eyed.

Asuka, on the other hand, was much more vocal in her protest.

"That baka... in the same room... AS ME? WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU MISATO?", exploded Asuka as Rei could only stammer, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her guardian, which, of course, immediately caught the attention of the Second Child who decided to make her decision for her.

"And Ayanami feels the same way, DON'T YOU?", she barked at the stunned girl.

"Ummm... Yes... I believe I... do?," Rei quietly responded, although the way she pronounced the final word made it obvious (to everyone but Asuka, at least) that she wasn't truly sure whether the idea was bad or not...

"There," Asuka said, "See? She thinks it's a bad idea just like I do. I'm honestly surprised you would even think of suggesting something like that, Misato. He's obviously going to try and take advantage of me while I'm sleeping! I mean, look at him... He's a classic example of a pervert!"

Shinji, having been silently mulling over the implications of him sharing a room with Asuka and Rei (and all the problems that would be associated with that were the details ever leaked to two certain friends of his who ran an illicit "photo sharing" service around the school), suddenly snapped back to attention at Asuka's less than flattering description of him.

"HEY!, Wait just a damn minute... I am NOT a per...OW OW OW...", he was cut off by Asuka seizing him forcefully by the ear and leading him to the door.

"That will be enough out of you, baka!', she bellowed as she threw him into the hallway, causing him to lose his balance and slam his head into the wall with a muffled "SHIT!" He turned around and, between holding his nose to ensure it wasn't broken and feeling his ear, he discovered that Asuka had drawn blood from her fingernails digging in.

At the sight of this, Asuka felt a pang of guilt that resonated from deep within. She immediately regretted having used so much force on the boy. After all, he had just willingly left the warmth and comfort of his bed to make sure the both of them were alright. This, on top of the promise he had made them when he had gotten out of the hospital after Bardiel's attack, caused her to feel a slight hatred for herself. He was always right there for everyone, but they ("_Specifically me", _she thought_), _rarely thanked him or acknowledged the sacrifices he had made.

"Dammit, Asuka... That hurt! What is wro...", he stopped mid sentence when he saw the pained expression on Asuka's face, accented by the small tear that was now rolling down her cheek.

Misato and Rei, who had been quietly smiling to themselves, now looked to Shinji and then to Asuka. Between the expression on her face and the tear on her cheek, they knew that the Invincible Asuka Langley Soryu had, in fact, developed a crack in her armor and vulnerabilities were beginning to find their way to the surface.

"Asuka...? Are you alright?", Shinji began...

At the sound of his voice, and the realization of what he had just asked her, Asuka began to break down.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry... Shinji...", Asuka uttered quietly as more tears began to slide down her cheeks, "I didn't mean to hurt you... I'm so.. stu...hmmph!"

She was cut off by Shinji placing his finger on her lips, stopping her from continuing.

"Don't say that.", he began, "You're not stupid. You're not." He reached up and wiped off the tears running down her cheeks, not really knowing where this new-found confidence was coming from, but liking it nonetheless.

"Why are you keep doing this?", Asuka almost whispered as she was pulled into a bear hug by Shinji, "Why do you keep helping me when I'm such a bitch to you all the time? Why do you keep helping both of us regardless of whether we thank you or not? I don't get it..." She looked up to see Shinji's features had formed into a genuine (_"And dare I say loving?"_) smile that couldn't help but make her feel a little bit better about the whole situation.

"Do you really want to know why I'm doing this... Right here... Right now?", Shinji asked out loud, not really speaking specifically to Asuka but rather to everyone in the room as he gently pushed her to arms length, "I'm doing this because I made the both of you a promise that day at the lake."

He paused, and Asuka looked up at him, her cheeks stained by her tears. His smile was still there, but there was something else in his eyes. Something... Serious. He looked to the other Pilot in the room and she saw the same thing.

"So, to answer you question...", Shinji continued, "I'm doing this because I made you a promise, and I keep my promises..."


	2. Bardiel

Promises made, Promises Kept

Chapter 2

_***2 weeks earlier**__*_

"Maya, how are the pilots doing?", Ritsuko asked as the Eva catapults prepared to shoot their cargo towards the surface and their target: Unit 03. Well, what used to be called Unit 03. It had long since stopped being referred to as Unit 03 and had been reclassified as the 13th Angel.

"Ma'am, I'm detecting a slight increase in blood pressure and pulse rate in all three children, but nothing out of the ordinary.", replied Maya Ibuki as she quickly brought up the stat screens for each pilot.

"Very good", replied Ritsuko as the senior scientist scanned over the information scrolling up the screens in front of her, "I see their anxiety levels are higher than usual for pre-combat conditions. Is there any reason for this?"

Maya was about to respond when the other senior officer in the room spoke up and, in a decidedly sarcastic tone of voice, replied "Well, it certainly couldn't have anything to do with the fact that they are about to go up against one of their own in battle. I mean, it's not like they've never had to do something like this before, fighting an Eva with an Eva.", Misato snorted.

Ritsuko only looked at her with a semi-disgusted look before turning back to her work.

"I understand that, Major", she replied a few moments later, "But, they have fought the angels, and as of right now, that is exactly what that thing up there is. Just because it has the form of an Evangelion doesn't mean it is an Evangelion. It stopped being Unit 03 the moment we initiated start-up. Just be happy that we were able to eject the entry plug before full contact was reached. Toji is doing fine, by the way. Just in case you were wondering..."

Misato just stood there with a sullen look on her face until Ritsuko turned around. It was then that the purple-haired Major's tongue poked itself out of her mouth and her bottom left eyelid was pulled down by her finger. She stayed like this until Maya turned around in her chair to ask a question but stopped in mid sentence upon catching sight of the Major. Misato, unusually embarrassed, turned slightly pink in the cheeks and pretended to look over some notes on her clipboard.

Meanwhile, the three Eva pilots sat in silence inside their respective cockpits. The thoughts running through their heads followed the dame general path: _Are we really going to have to fight another Eva unit? How could something like this happen? Does this mean something like this could happen to one of our Eva's? _The silence was broken by Asuka as she grunted in frustration at having to wait for so long to launch.

"Why in the hell are we still sitting here?", she whined as Shinji and Rei quietly sighed, "We know where the target is, why don't we just launch now, grab the thing and beat it to a bloody pulp. It's not like one Eva can defeat three, especially since one of them is piloted by yours truly. Hell, I bet I could take the damn thing on my own!"

Shinji and Rei could only look at each other via the on-board video feed and share a coy smile.

"Asuka, we've been over this", Ritsuko cut in, "that is NOT an Eva unit. At least not anymore. That is the 13th angel up there. It has all the strength of an Eva plus that of an Angel all combined into one body. It will take all three of you to defeat this creature."

Asuka only grunted in disagreement but said no more. In HQ, Misato quietly smiled to herself and thought _"That's my Asuka..." _

"Alright everybody!", Ritsuko announced loudly, "Let's run final start-up checks. The Angel is within the engagement zone and we need to take care of this as quickly as possible. If all goes well, by tonight we'll be down one more Angel and we can take a much needed rest. Now, on my word, confirm your stations are ready! Communications..."

Misato quickly lost interest as the doctor rattled off the lengthy list of initialization procedures. Turning to her own section of the control panel, she opened a secure line to the pilots and asked how they were feeling.

"I'm a little nervous to say the least," replied Shinji as he sat uneasily at his controls, "I'm not too excited about fighting another Eva unit."

"Oh hush up, baka", Asuka snapped from her cockpit, "didn't you hear what Dr. Akagi just said? It's NOT an Evangelion anymore. It's the 13th Angel, stupid Shinji..."

"Hey, you shut up!", retorted the Third Child, "I heard what she said, but it still feels weird to be going up against something that looks like an Eva unit! You know you feel the same way, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise!"

"What did you just say to me?" Asuka almost yelled in response, " I never said I wasn't nervous, I just reiterated what Ritsuko stated earlier, just in case you didn't hear her. Which apparently you didn't..."

Misato just smiled as the two teens fell into their usual routine of insult throwing and profanity spewing. She turned down the volume on the two warring factions and addressed Rei, who had until this point remained silent.

"Rei, how are you feeling?", asked Misato.

"I feel... Uneasy...", the blue haired pilot replied, "I think that's a good way to describe my feelings at the moment. I can't help feeling like this is all wrong... We shouldn't be fighting one of our own units, regardless if it is possessed by an Angel. I hope that makes sense, Misato."

"Yes, Rei, that makes more sense than you can imagine", Misato began, "this whole situation is wrong on so many levels. I still don't understand how we could have missed the signs until the last minute, or how the Angel even managed to infiltrate the Eva. We may never know, though. The Commander has ordered the Unit completely destroyed after its defeat. Pretty confident, huh?

"Yes, I suppose so", Rei giggled.

"Misato! Are the pilots ready for deployment?", Ritsuko yelled from across the control room, "The Angel is less than a mile away. All our defenses have been utterly useless against it. All the pre-launch checks are complete. How are they?"

"They're ready to go, Ritsy", Misato shouted back, grinning to herself as Ritsuko grimaced visibly at being called by her pet name that Kaji had given her years ago, "Just say the word and we'll launch."

Turning back to her 3 young charges, she alerted them to the impending launch. "Alright guys, this is it... Do us proud!"

"Everyone ready?", Ritsuko shouted into the general Coms line and waited as all lights turned green on her display, "Alright now... Start the countdown! On my mark, 5...4...3...2...1! LAUNCH!

Misato slammed her hand down onto the bright red button labeled "Ascend" and watched as the 3 Eva catapults shot upwards, propelling their multi-ton cargoes towards the surface.

"_Ok God... Help us out here. We're going to need it...", _Misato thought as the catapults reached their destination and the Eva's began to advance on the Angel.

Spirits in the room were high as the pilots began their first wave of attacks, sending the Angel (now identified as Bardiel) staggering backwards from the assault.

2 hours later, however, as the heavily damaged Eva's were brought down to the repair bay and Shinji was rushed into intensive care with serious injuries, the mood in the room was less than jovial...

The battle had started out with the odds in their favor, with the first assault knocking the Angel backwards into the hills surrounding the engagement zone. Asuka, emboldened by the seemingly quick work they were making of their target, broke formation and charged at Bardiel, both prog knives at the ready. Just as she reached the downed Eva, Ritsuko detected several strange energy readings coming from within Unit 03. She didn't even have time to reach Asuka before 2 extra arms sprouted from Bardiel's back and wrapped themselves around Unit 02's neck, stopping the Eva in its tracks. Both prog knives hit the ground as Unit 02's hands were brought up to grab hold of the arms that were pushing the Eva steadily backwards.

"GAAAHHHHHH!", screamed Asuka as the hands around Unit 02's neck slowly tightened their grip. Rei, in Unit 00, ran up beside the struggling pair and attempted to stab the Angel with her own pair of prog knives, but was quickly brought to a halt as the Angel's other arms shot up and grabbed Unit 00 by the shoulders before violently slamming it into the ground, dislodging the umbilical cable in the process. With now slightly less than 5 minutes left to defeat the Angel, Rei began to panic, violently thrashing about in her Eva as Bardiel easily held her pinned to the ground.

Shinji, watching from his catapult while technicians tried desperately to free his Eva from the malfunctioning locks securing it to the transport, lost any semblance of control he might have thought he had and, without really trying, ripped Unit 01 free of its restraints and charged towards the trio, a large chunk of catapult still attached to his right shoulder.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, he commanded his Eva to jump, and it responded, flying several stories into the air before bringing its foot crashing down on top of Unit 03. Catching it off guard, Shinji succeeded in causing Bardiel to loosen its grip on Unit 00 and 02 just enough so that the Eva's could break free and retreat to a safer distance as Unit 01 continued to grapple with the infected Eva, grabbing Bardiel behind the head and ramming its knee into the Angel's face repeatedly.

Asuka, having now recovered enough to rejoin the fight, ran forward and, wrapping her arm around the Angel's neck, pulled as hard as Unit 2 possibly could. Shinji, seeing this, tried to scream at her to get away.

"ASUKA! Get ba...", was all he managed to get out before the Angel shot its arm through Unit 02's chest, easily penetrating all the way through to the other side where it emerged in a shower of Eva blood.

Screaming in agony, Asuka involuntarily released her grip on the Angel's neck allowing it to shove her backwards, withdrawing its hand in the process and causing a stream of blood to pour out of the wound. Lying on the ground, writhing in pain, Asuka was essentially out of the battle. Shinji, seeing all of this, redoubled his attack on the Angel and, grabbing it by the head, began to violently slam the Eva's body against the hillside, carving several 2 story deep indentations with each hit. Still, the Angel was far from defeat and showed this by landing several brutal punches onto Unit 01's face with each of its four arms in quick succession. Staggering back from the surprise hits, Unit 01 was left open to a vicious kick to the chest that succeeded in knocking it back several dozen yards and forcing all of the air out of Shinji's chest.

"Gahh!", Shinji wheezed as he landed with a massive thud in a rice field. He looked up to see Unit 03 bearing down on him and was about to lift his arm in defense when Unit 00, having reconnected its umbilical cable, jumped on the Eva's back and knocked it to the ground.

"IKARI!", Rei screamed as she struggled to hold the Angel down. Shinji, hearing Rei's scream, immediately freed himself from the damp rice paddy and charged towards the pair of Eva's. Before he could reach them, however, he watched as Unit 00 was impaled by one of the Angel's arms. Hearing the blood curdling scream that emanated from Rei's com line, Shinji's blood pressure spiked, his heart rate topped at nearly 190 BPM and his nose began to trickle blood. Roaring in anger, he brought his hands together into a large fist and brought this down on top of Unit 03's head as hard as he possibly could, grinning at the satisfying crunching sound that resulted from the impact.

As Bardiel's body went limp, Shinji's brain immediately kicked into Rescue mode. Grabbing Unit 00 and pulling the Angel's arm from its chest, Shinji threw it over his shoulder and ran to Unit 02, still writhing in pain on the ground. Throwing it onto his other shoulder, he took off towards the waiting catapults. Opening a coms line to Misato, he ordered the Plug Retrieval Units to be ready. Upon receiving confirmation that the units were ready and waiting, he opened a line to the two Eva's on his shoulders.

"Asuka! Rei! Are you alright? Answer me, dammit!", he screamed into the line.

"I...I'm fine...", came the weak response from Unit 02 as Asuka slowly lost consciousness.

"I'm okay, Ikari-kun, thank you...", Rei responded.

Feeling a sense of relief flow over him, Shinji finally let out the lung-full of air he had just realized he was holding in. It was then that Unit 03 decided to reactivate and slowly get to its feet, its crushed skull leaking a sickly purple fluid that quickly congealed on its chest armor. It slowly brought its arms up and...

"SHINJI! BEHIND YOU!", Misato screamed as she watched the live video feed of the Angel getting back to its feet.

Shinji, barely having time to react, turned around just in time to see two impossibly long arms fly towards him. Hearing more than feeling the impact, Shinji watched as the two arms pierced his Eva's chest armor and broke through on the other side, sending out a spray of blood that streaked the ground below. Involuntarily sucking in as much air as his lungs could hold, Shinji's half closed eyes flew open as his jaw slowly dropped.

Staggering around, his main focus was to get the two damaged Eva's onto the catapult and down into the relative safety of the GeoFront. Gently placing Units 00 and 02 onto the lift, he reached over and pressed the bright green "Descend" button to the left of the elevator. After the lift had dropped from sight and the heavily armored doors were shut tight, Shinji turned to the task at hand.

Slowly reaching up to his chest, Shinji took hold of an arm in each hand and began to pull, wincing at the pain. Just as the wrist of each arm was visible, the other 2 arms made their appearance, viciously ramming themselves through Unit 01.

Back in the GeoFront, Misato, Ritsuko and the other bridge staff watched in silent horror as all four arms ripped through Unit 01 and lifted it above the Angel's head before slamming it to the ground over and over and over again. With each hit, every person on the bridge cringed involuntarily.

When the attack was finally over, Shigeru was able to reestablish a video connection to Unit 01's cockpit, showing that Shinji was not as badly injured as they had expected. Emboldened by this, Misato commandeers the com line to the Eva and begins to speak with the shaking and groaning pilot.

"Shinji...", Misato began in what was quite possibly the most motherly sounding voice she had ever been able to muster, "Are you okay?"

A loud cry of pain was the only response she received

" Shinji, I know you're in pain, but you have to try and free yourself", she began again, "You are our last hope... YOU have to defeat this enemy, for you, for all of us." Misato waited for his reply which she suspected would be one of self pity, just like the ones he used to have right after joining the organization. However, his actual reply was quite unexpected, but still true to character...

"Mi...Misato...", Shinji struggled to speak, "How are A...Asuka and Rei?"

Caught off guard by his reply, Misato struggled with what to say next. It wasn't that the pilots were in terrible condition, quite the opposite in fact. It was just that her brain, which had been expecting a completely different response now had to switch gears to find a reply. Finally, the connection between her brain and mouth was reestablished and she replied "They're okay, Shinji... Just unconscious. They'll be fine. You did well. I... We are all very proud of you."

On the video feed, she watched as Shinji visibly relaxed as she assured him of Asuka and Rei's condition.

"Shinji... We need you to finish this fight...", Misato began again, "We need you to destroy the Angel. Do you think you can do that?

"I'm not sure, Misato", came the reply, "I can barely move..."

"Shinji... You can do this. You yourself are not physically hurt. It's all in your mind, remember?", Misato asserted, maintaining her motherly tone of voice, "Besides, do you think Asuka or Rei would ever let you live this down if you gave up right now? After all you three have been through?"

Shinji, perking up at the sound of their names, slowly brings Unit 01's hand around to try and right himself. Bardiel, seeing this, quickly removes one of its arms from the Eva's chest and grabs hold of the hand, pulling it out from under Unit 01 causing it to crash back down. Shinji, grimacing as the bolts of pain make their way through his body, attempts to wrench his hand free only to have his arm violently pulled to full length as the Angel attempts to rip it from its socket. Pulling another one of its arms from Unit 01's chest, Bardiel begins to brutally punch the face plate of the Eva as Shinji continues to wince in pain. With each hit, the name of someone around him forces its way to the front of his mind...

_**SLAM**_ _Misato..._

_**SLAM** Rei..._

_**SLAM** Asuka..._

_**SLAM**_ _I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY!_

At this sudden resurfacing of his old motto, Shinji began to feel a deep hatred bubbling up from somewhere deep inside his mind...

_**SLAM**_ The face plate of Unit 01 began to crack...

_**SLAM**_ The video feed from inside the cockpit cuts to static, sending Shigeru diving under the control panel again...

_**SLAM**_ Shinji reaches for the control sticks...

_**SLAM**_ _That..._

_**SLAM**_ He takes the controls firmly in his hands...

_**SLAM**_ _Is..._

_**SLAM**_ He lifts his head and roars...

_**SLAM**__ENOUGHHHH!_

Bardiel was surprised to feel Unit 01's arm slowly pulling itself back towards its chest. Despite all its attempts to resist, the Angel found itself unable to stop the Eva from breaking free of its grasp and grabbing a hold of the Angel's face plate with its right hand, while simultaneously taking hold of its neck with its left hand. Panicking, the Angel removes its remaining arms from Unit 01's chest and firmly grasps each of the Eva's arms with two of its own. Despite all of this, it could not wrench the Evangelion free. It felt Unit 01's hands begin to constrict and became desperate. Completely forgetting about the hands around its face and neck, Bardiel began to hammer down on Unit 01's chest with all four arms. Hit after hit after hit, but to no avail. The Eva's grip was unbreakable.

Back in HQ, Misato watched these events unfold with a broad smile on her face.

"_That's my Shinji...", _she whispered...

Inside Unit 01's cockpit, Shinji was grinning maniacally as he steadily tightened his grip on the Angel's face and neck, barely noticing the hits he was taking from its four arms. Once he had his grip to the proper levels, he began to pull upwards with his right hand. Straining from the effort, Shinji's nosebleed began again, only this time it flowed twice as hard. Yet again, Shinji barely paid attention. All he could think of was sending this bastard back to whatever hell it had come from. Redoubling his grip in his left hand, Shinji gave one last near-superhuman burst of strength, roaring at the top of his lungs. The Eva, sensing the effort being exerted by its pilot, responded in kind.

Breaking open its jaw restraints, the Eva joined Shinji in his roar as the tendons and muscle on Unit 03's neck slowly started to give way. Feeling this, Shinji proceeded to shove the right hand's control stick forward as hard as he possibly could...

Outside, the sound of ripping flesh and bone was loud enough to be heard for several miles around as Unit 01 ripped Bardiel's head clear off of its shoulders, sending a shower of purple "blood" spraying up and out in a fountain that covered several square acres.

Letting go of Unit 03's now lifeless body, Shinji watched as its massive form crumpled to its knees before falling forward and crushing an empty house that was unfortunate enough to be sitting there as blood continued to flow out of the wound where its head used to reside.

"yyyyyyYYEEESSSSS! GO SHINJI!", screamed Misato as she watched Shinji pull Bardiel's head clean off of its body before crushing its skull with Unit 01's massive hand, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"

This outburst from the Major came in the middle of a room full of people stunned into a silence so deep that, had anyone been in possession of a pin and had been so careless as to drop said pin, everyone in the room would have looked around as though someone had just thrown a pipe wrench against a steel plate.

"Misato!", cried Dr. Akagi, obviously frightened half to death by the Majors' delighted squeals, "Will you keep calm! Please! At least for our sake..."

"Ooops... My bad...", Misato replied, putting on the biggest, most sheepish grin she possibly could, "I'm just excited, is all..."

"I understand that, Major", came the predictably sour reply from Ritsuko, "But we need to keep our wits about us. We have 3 heavily damaged Eva's and 1 seriously hurt pilot to deal with at the moment. While I am not opposed to celebrating, please try to refrain from doing so until the proper time has arrived... Now, everybody, this isn't over. Just because the Angel is down doesn't mean our job is over..."

"Okay then", she continued, "Maya!"

"Yes Ma'am?", replied the Lieutenant.

"I want first priority to be given to Unit 01 in Repair Bay 5, Unit's 00 and 02 are to be moved to Bays 3 and 4, respectively", barked Ritsuko.

"Yes Ma'am!", Maya responded as she turned to her console and began issuing commands to the retrieval crews.

"Shigeru, what's the status on the video feed?", yelled Ritsuko as she turned to the Lieutenant who was currently half-submerged in a tangle of wires and circuit boards.

"Should be up right...about... NOW!", exclaimed Shigeru as he forcefully extracted himself from under the panel.

The main video screen came to life with a live shot of Unit 01's cockpit. Ritsuko immediately saw numerous things wrong with the picture.

"Somebody get me Medical Bay!", Ritsuko screamed to no one on particular, "And tell them they've got another one coming in. Class 3 Injuries sustained, heavy bleeding from nose and ears, possible internal injuries..."

Misato, who had been going around delivering congratulatory hugs and high fives, immediately turned to the screen and screamed at the sight of Shinji as he lay there, unconscious, blood steadily streaming from his nose and ears. She could see 2 very noticeable red splotches on the chest of his plug suit that were steadily growing bigger.

"Oh God... SHINJI!", her cry reverberated throughout NERV HQ.

* * *

><p>Mmmmmk... Chapter 2. I'm slowly getting the hang of this writing thing. Expect more soon. Next chapter should (and I emphasize SHOULD) contain the promise from which this story derives its name. Anyways, 'til next time. :)<p> 


	3. Hospital

**Promises made, Promises kept**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>Shinji Ikari opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, the details of the room around him slowly coming into focus. Seeing that same familiar ceiling caused him to instantly recognize just where he was. He turned to his left and watched as his heart beat a steady up and down rhythm on the monitor. Turning after a few moments, he looks to his right at the bags of I.V. that slowly drip their contents into his veins, keeping him hydrated.<p>

Turning again to look at the ceiling, Shinji feels an itch creeping up his nose. Instinctively bringing his arm up to alleviate the situation, he catches sight of the numerous deep purple bruises that spot his arm from shoulder to wrist. Bringing his other arm over to investigate, he sees that it too is covered in numerous contusions.

"_Hmmm... Must've gotten more banged up than I recall..."_, Shinji thinks to himself before gently prodding at one of the purple marks with his finger. He instantly regrets this as a deep pain makes its way up his arm.

Wincing, Shinji made a mental note to not do that again.

After having satisfied his curiosity as to the extent of his bruises, he attempted to sit up and was rocked by deep, throbbing bolts of pain shooting out from every square inch of his chest. Gasping, he tried to lay back, only to have even more pain present itself. His breath coming in gasps, he realized he was going to be stuck in this awkward position unless he could force himself to move in one direction or the other. Figuring that either way was going to hurt, Shinji made the decision to try and remove himself from his bed and find someone to talk to, maybe even go and check on Asuka and Rei...

_Asuka..._

_Rei..._

His mind latched onto the thought of the two pilots and went into overdrive. Memories of the battle with Bardiel came rushing back, and Shinji's resolve to get out of his bed was provided with a much needed boost. Shinji took in a deep breath and, bracing for the waves of pain he knows are coming, pushes as hard as he can with his bruised arms.

The pain is nearly unbearable as Shinji's upper body slowly raises, allowing him to swivel his legs to the right and off of the bed. As his feet hit the cold, sterile floor, Shinji relaxes, thankful that that little bit of torture was over. However, he now realized that he had to actually get _out_ of his bed_, _and this was going to require almost as much effort as sitting up.

Slowly removing the numerous electrodes and sensors that covered his body, and setting off numerous alarms in the process, Shinji braced himself for the final push. Leaning forward and placing his palms flat on the side of the bed, Shinji summoned forth as much strength as he could and pushed, slowly bringing himself to a standing position. As the pain from the effort slowly subsided to manageable levels, Shinji attempted to take a step forward, and nearly fell face-first into the nurse's cart stationed against the wall. Grabbing onto the cart and thanking God that the cart's wheel locks were engaged, Shinji brought himself back to a standing position yet again, cringing as the waves of pain made their way through his battered body, though at less severe levels this time.

Shinji, visibly brightening at this fact, slowly turns to his left and reaches for the door.

It was at this moment that one Misato Katsuragi decided to make her entrance. Throwing open the door to Shinji's room, the purple-haired major instantly took note of the empty state of the bed. Momentarily turning frantic, she turned to her left and was met by the Third Child's warm smile.

"SHINJI!", Misato cries in a combination of anger, confusion and happiness before wrapping the stunned boy in a warm (and truth be told, painful, at least for him) embrace, "You're awake! I'm so glad!"

Shinji, whose face is still buried deep within Misato's ample bosom, could only utter a muffled "Thank you" before she releases her grip, realizing that the boy might still be hurting.

"Why are you out of bed, young man?", she then asked in a more Misato-like tone of voice, "You were pretty banged up in the battle. You need rest."

"But I was just going to go get something to eat from the cafeteria...", Shinji replied, looking down at his slightly bruised feet, "I'm starving."

"Well, that's not for you to worry about", Misato replied, "I'll see to it that you get something to eat. Right now you need to focus on two things: Sleeping and healing... Besides, you'll need your strength for when they come and visit you, now that you're awake and all."

"They? Who's they", Shinji asked, even though he already had a pretty damn good idea as to whom she was referring.

"Oh... _Them..._", he added happily as he cracked a small smile.

"Asuka... Rei..._", _He felt a warmth slowly overtaking him as the names cross his lips, bringing forth images of their beautiful, smiling faces. His smile soon turns to a frown, though, as memories of Bardiel slowly pushed their way forward, "How are they? Were they seriously injured? Come on, tell me!"

"They're fine, Shinji", Misato assured him, "Just a little banged up. Not as bad as you, though, and I suppose they...We... have you to thank for that. They're keeping them here for another day or two just to make sure they are completely healed. They'll be cleared to come and visit you tomorrow."

"You did a very brave thing out there, and we are all very proud of you", she added, "Even the Commander sa..."

At that, Misato had to quickly force her mouth shut before she said something that could have serious repercussions were it to reach Gendo Ikari.

"What? What did he say?", Shinji asked, his eyes growing large at the revelation that his father might actually have something nice to say to or about him, "Come on, Misato... You have to tell me!"

Misato simply smiled and replied "I think I've already said too much... It's probably best that he be the one to tell you in person, when he's ready..."

"But...", Shinji stammered before he was cut off by Misato gently placing her fingers over his lips, silencing him.

"Nope, no arguments", the Major replied as Shinji could only sigh in frustration.

"And that's an order", she added matter-of-factly, "Now, back to the matter at hand, what exactly did you think you were doing out of bed in your condition?"

"I told you, I was going to get something to eat from the cafeteria downstairs, "Shinji repeated, "I'm starving."

"Well, that's not for you to worry about", Misato replied, "We'll take care of making sure you stay nourished while you're on bed rest. Once they clear you to come off of it, then you can go and eat in the cafeteria. For right now, though, you have to stay in here and let us take care of you for awhile. You think you can do that?"

Shinji contemplated protesting for a moment, but he soon gave up this line of thought as a bolt of pain shot up his spine causing him to nearly double over.

Grunting in pain, Shinji is immediately surrounded by three orderlies who had followed Misato in the door. Leading him back to his bed, they gently lowered him into the sheets and fussed over him until he was comfortable.

"There, is that better?", Misato asked as the orderlies dispersed, "You need to get as much sleep as possible these next few days. You're going to be busy once you get back to work. But don't worry, you'll be fine. I have faith in you. We all do."

And with that, she turned and started to walk out of the room, but was stopped as Shinji spoke up.

"Misato...", he started, causing the major to stop and turn back.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"Tell Asuka and Rei...", Shinji paused, unsure of how to continue, "Tell them if they need someone to talk to, I'm here... I don't know if I can help them much, but I'd like to try..."

"Okay Shinji..." Misato replied, fighting to hold back the tears which suddenly found themselves poised to drop from the corners of her eyes, "I' ll tell them. I'm sure they'll appreciate that."

"Also, Misato, thank you..." Shinji started to continue, but stopped, not entirely sure of his ability to saw what he wanted to say without crying...,

"Thank you... For caring..."

Turning back towards the door so Shinji couldn't see the solitary tear slide down her cheek, a warm smile spread across her lips.

"No problem, Shinj'...", she replied as she opened the door into the main hall, "See ya tomorrow." And with that, the Major walked out of the room and headed towards the room shared by her other two charges to check on them and to relay Shinji's offer of help.

As she walked and Shinji's words rolled around in her mind, she tried to maintain her composure, but found this to be a losing battle. As more and more tears started making their way down her cheeks, she finally had to duck into the first empty room she came across. Once inside, she locked the door, sat down in one of the chairs against the wall and proceeded to relinquish all control to the emotions flowing through her. Tears flowed down both cheeks before rolling off of her chin and landing with small splats on the pile of papers laying in her lap, darkening the manila envelope that contained them.

She remained there for several minutes, or was it hours? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she needed to compose herself and get to Asuka and Rei's room. She had a very important message to give them from Shinji, after all. So, wiping the last of the tears from her cheek and after making sure her hair was in place, she stood up and exited the room.

She wasn't too pleased with herself for almost breaking down in front of Shinji earlier, but considering everything they'd gone through these past few months, she was proud for not having done so sooner. These kids carried an unfathomable weight on their shoulders, and if they could make it through all this hell without shedding too many tears, then dammit, so could she!

Looking to her left and noting that the numbers on the rooms were larger than they should be, she realized that, being so deep in thought, she had completely missed their room. Turning on her heel and backtracking, she quickly came upon the correct room. Not bothering with the formality of knocking, she turned the handle and pushed open the door.

This would prove to be a mistake.

As Misato entered the room, a red blur entered her peripheral vision. Not having much time to react, she was only capable of uttering a confused "Wha..." before a pillow was forced over her face and she was pushed to the floor, papers flying out of her hand and scattering everywhere.

"AhhhAAAA! I knew you would try and sneak in here you baka!", Asuka shouted triumphantly as she held the pillow firmly over the face of the struggling figure, "Always trying to sneak a peek at my God given assets! Well, now I've got..."

She stopped as a thought hit her. "_Wait... Misato told us yesterday that Shinji wasn't even awake yet... Soooo, that must mean...", _she trailed off as she slowly looked down at the figure she was straggling and immediately took in the distinctly female features clothed in the equally distinct colors of NERV.

"_Crap...", _she uttered quietly as she slowly removed the pillow, revealing the purple face of her care taker. Purple not from the attempted asphyxiation, but from the rage now boiling to the surface.

Gently placing the pillow back over the Major's face, Asuka slowly stood and made her way back to her bed. After securing herself under her covers, she waited for what was coming.

After a few moments of apprehensive waiting, she risked a peek out from under the blanket and was met by the blank face of the Major hovering mere inches from her own. Following a few tense moments of silence, Misato slowly moved back and sighed.

"Asuka?"

"Y..Yes, Mi..Misato?"

"Would you mind telling me exactly what in THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?", WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?", Misato screamed.

"N..N..No.., Misato... I wasn't I promise", Asuka stammered, "I thought you were Shinji. You know how he never knocks before he enters a room. I figured this wasn't any different..."

"Asuka...", Misato began, "I thought I told you yesterday that Shinji was still unconscious..."

"Well... yeah, you did", Asuka replied, "And I remembered that while I was on top of you. That's why I stopped... I'm sorry if I frightened you..."

Misato was about to retort when she caught sight of the solitary tear sliding down the girl's cheek as she look down at her feet. Sighing, Misato walked over to the side of the bed and sat down.

"It's alright, Asuka...", she started, "I'm okay. Just a little... frazzled, is all. You scared the crap out of me, ya know? I've already had my fair share of scary situations these past few days. And the last thing I was expecting when I walked in here was to be suffocated by a pillow. All I was going to do was update the both of you on Shinji's condition..."

"Is Ikari-kun alright?", asked Rei, who had until this point remained silent, watching the events unfold in a cross between shock and humor, "Is he awake yet?"

"Actually, that's what I was here to tell the both of you", Misato replied, "He just woke up about an hour ago. He's still pretty banged up, but Ritsuko says he's healing fairly quickly. He should be up and about by tomorrow."

Smiling at the positive news regarding Shinji, Rei could only smile and clutch her hands to her chest.

"Pbbbttt", Asuka interrupted, "I bet I'm healing twice as fast as he is, that wimp..."

"Well, that may be true, Asuka", Misato spoke up, "But you have to remember, he took a hell of a beating out there. You two only had slight bruising and a few scratches. Shinji had...Has... all of that and more. He was bleeding out of his ears when we pulled him from Unit 01, and he had some minor to moderate internal hemorrhaging. All things considered, you two got off easy."

Misato watched as both girls cringed visibly as she told them of the extent of Shinji's injuries.

"_Bleeding... From the ears?", _Asuka thought to herself as she stared down at her lap, "_What kind of impact did have to sustain to cause that kind of injury? Would he really do something like that... For us? For... Me?"_

"Oh... God... Misato... I didn't know..", she said at last, "They haven't told us anything other than he was badly hurt. No specifics..."

"Asuka is right, Misato", Rei spoke up, "We had no idea Ikari-kun had been injured that gravely. I... I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything", Misato said gently, "The fact of the matter is that all three of you are alive, the Angel is dead, and we are all proud of you."

"Yes, but still..." Asuka started to speak, but was stopped as Misato held up her hand and motioned for silence before speaking herself.

"Nope. No more on the matter..", she asserted, "I didn't come here to make the two of you cry. I came to deliver good news. Like I said, Shinji woke up about an hour ago. As a matter of fact, I was the first person to see him up. He was out of his bed and trying to go downstairs to get something to eat. Typical Shinji, eh? Always thinking about food..."

As Asuka and Rei giggled quietly, Misato felt the tension and sadness in the room slowly evaporate.

"So, anyways", Misato continued, "He told me to tell the both of you that if either of you need to talk, or if you need a shoulder to cry on, he'll be there. He said he might not be able to help, but he would like to try..."

Asuka and Rei both looked at Misato with big eyes, blue and red, respectively.

"He...He really said that?", Asuka asked, unsure if she had heard Misato right.

"Ikari-kun", Rei whispered, lips beginning to tremble.

"Yep! He's really concerned about you two", Misato answered cheerfully, "He should be able to leave his bed tomorrow, so you two can go visit him. I'm sure he would appreciate it..."

Asuka, realizing she was beginning to blush, quickly squashed that little problem, and putting on her usual tone of superior indifference, responded with "Well, I guess we can try and go see him tomorrow or something... Right, Wondergirl?"

Rei, who was still mulling over what Misato had just told them, quickly looked up, eyes going wide and asking"Huhh?" in a very confused tone of voice.

Annoyed, Asuka sighed and repeated what she had just said.

"Oh... Yes. I would really like that...", Rei quickly responded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically she thought, judging by the strange looks the other two gave her, "I mean, yes... I will be glad to visit Ikari tomorrow."

"Okaaayyyy...", Misato replied, perplexed at the girls' unusually enthusiastic reply, "Well then, it's settled. I'll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon and we can all go see him together. How's that sound?"

"But, why tomorrow afternoon?", Asuka asked, "I thought you said he was going to be able to get out of bed sooner?"

Well, Ritusko won't be back from her trip until early tomorrow morning, and she gave explicit orders to not let him up until she gives the all clear", Misato explained.

"Wait, where is Dr. Akagi?", Rei enquired.

"She left for America almost as soon as you three were safely in the infirmary. She said there were urgent diplomatic matters that had to be attended to", Misato replied, "Probably having to do with the fact that two of America's Evangelion units have been destroyed within a matter of weeks. But, I'm not a diplomat, so I can't say for sure."

"Well, I guess that makes sense...", Asuka vocalized, obviously not happy with the fact of having to wait to see Shinji, "So... What time will you be tomorrow, exactly, Misato?"

"Not sure exactly, but definitely after noon...", Misato replied, "I've got a late night tonight, what with supervising the remaining repairs to the Eva's and all that. I'll call before I head up here so you both can be ready. Did they give you your cellphones back?"

As the two pilots brought up their respective devices, Misato smiled and said "Well alright then... It's getting late, I guess I better get down to the repair bay and make sure they install everything correctly. I'll see you girls tomorrow. Please, try and get some sleep. And, don't worry about Shinji... He'll be fine. He's stronger than we think... Well, G'nite!"

And with that, she stood up and exited the room, leaving the two girls to themselves. After a few moments of silence, Rei spoke up and asked Asuka what she thought of the whole situation.

"To be honest, I don't really know...", the red head responded, "I mean, Shinji was so... Weak... when I met him, but now that I look back, he's constantly been growing stronger... He's more assertive, he's not afraid to stand up to me or Misato... It's like he's changing for the better. I mean, he swore at me to get me to tell him I was alright after I was beaten by Bardiel. He would have never done that if he didn't care about us..."

Stopping in her tracks as she realized she was saying too much, she turned to Rei and saw that the girl had a small smirk pinned to her face.

Asuka, her face burning as she thought about what she had just said, demanded to know what was so damn funny.

Giggling, Rei responded "It's just... I've never heard you speak about Ikari this highly before. I don't think he is the only one who's changing..."

Her face turning beet-red, Asuka practically shouted "HEY! Don't go thinking anything like that... I'm still the same. I'm just... Concerned, is all."

"Sure, Asuka... Sure", Rei responded, before adding "Well, I have to agree with the absent Major, it is getting late. I know you're excited about seeing Ikari-kun tomorrow, but we need our rest."

"Wait... What? Why would I be excited to see that baka?", Asuka shouted after letting Rei's words sink in, "What are you trying to imply, huh?"

"Goodnight, Asuka", Rei replied with a noticeable grin on her face.

And with that, the First Child cut off the lamp on her side of the room and rolled over to go to sleep, leaving Asuka fuming. She considered stomping over there and asking what exactly the girl had meant by everything she had just said, but thought twice of it and decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Come to think of it, she was pretty tired. Lying in a hospital bed all day can really take it out of a person.

After making sure her cellphone ringer was at max volume, she rolled over and turned off her lamp. She was asleep almost instantly. Her dreams, not surprisingly, revolved around a certain baka and all the funny/stupid/annoying/wonderful things he did on a regular basis, and for the first time in a long while, the Second Child smiled a truly happy smile.

* * *

><p>Well, here's chapter 3. I know I said the aforementioned promise should be included in this chapter, but, after having thought about where I want to take this story, I realized that this way is much better. Having said that, I will say that they will be included in the next chapter. I promise. ;)<p> 


	4. Recovery and Injections

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>The next day dawned bright and clear over Tokyo 3. The cleanup crews were almost finished with the disposal of Unit 03, and the small part of the population that had been evacuated were now returning to their homes.<p>

Shinji Ikari lay looking out of the window in his hospital room, taking in the inherent beauty of the surrounding area as the orderlies tended to the removal of the numerous sensors covering his body. He had been cleared to be taken off bed rest earlier that morning. Ritsuko herself had come into the room and informed him. Her trip had been cut short by the American's inability to see that there was truly no one at fault for the loss of their two Eva Units, both events had been due to circumstances that neither could have controlled. After only a couple of days of discussions out of a planned week, Dr. Akagi had been politely, but firmly, asked to return to Japan. She was more than happy to oblige.

Shinji had already been awake when the doctor had entered his room at around six that morning. Slightly surprised by Ritsuko's presence, Shinji greeted her with a warm smile and an equally warm hello.

"Good morning Shinji", Ritsuko stated as she brought her clipboard up her chest, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, Dr. Akagi", Shinji replied, "Just a little sore, is all."

"Well, that is to be expected, Shinji. Considering the kind of beating you went through in Unit 01, I'm honestly surprised that you came back to consciousness as soon as you did. Almost anybody else would have been out for a week or more. You were barely out for two days. Very impressive indeed."

Blushing slightly, Shinji replied "Well, I had a little... Extra motivation... Shall we say..."

"You mean Asuka and Rei, don't you?", Ritsuko asked, grinning as Shinji looked at her, surprised that she knew.

"How...How did you know that?", he stammered.

"I ran into Misato in the repair bay earlier this morning, around three, I think, and we had a little discussion regarding what had happened during the couple of days I was out of country. She told me about what you said, Shinji, regarding Asuka and Rei."

She paused as the boy looked down at his feet and his cheeks got slightly redder still.

"I think it is a very noble and brave thing that you did, Shinji. Not just protecting them during the battle, but, now, you being as hurt as you are, and all you can think about is their well being. There aren't many people like you left in this world, Shinji, and I'm thankful that Asuka and Rei have you as a partner. I mean it, Shinji... I really do." Ritsuko finished.

The amount of blood that now rushed into Shinji's cheeks would have been enough to render a normal person unconscious.

"T..Thank you, Ma'am...", Shinji replied quietly, still not that good at taking compliments.

"No problem, Shinji. Now, with all that out of the way, I have some good news for you. I've been looking over your progress and I have decided that you are well enough to be taken off of bed rest. I'll have some orderlies come in later and take care of the rest, I just wanted to tell you in person. You deserve that much, at least."

Shinji, visibly brightening at the news, asked if Misato knew yet.

"No, not yet. I'll see her in a little bit and tell her myself. Expect a visit soon after that.", Ritsuko replied, grinning at the thought of what Misato's reaction would be to the good news, "She should be very excited, so brace yourself. You know how she can be."

"Yes... Yes I do", Shinji stated, chuckling at the same thought of Misato's reaction.

The two of them shared a hearty laugh at the Major's expense as Shinji laid back in his bed. He really did love that woman, regardless of how God-awfully messy and sloppy she could be at home. She was the closest thing to a mother he'd ever had, and he truly enjoyed being in her company. There was something calming about her no-shits-given attitude that pervaded every aspect of her being. Shinji, (hell, all three of the children, really) realized that they truly were blessed with such a genuinely caring guardian.

So far, though, none of them had had an opportunity to tell her these things, and if anyone was going to be the first, it was going to be Shinji. He was by far the most open pilot of the three. This wasn't saying much, though, when you considered the personalities of the other two.

Firstly, there was Rei who, to her credit, had opened up a lot recently with Asuka and Shinji's help, but was still very much a quiet and reserved enigma. She had a ways to go before she would feel secure enough in her new-found confidence to tell Misato how thankful she was for her care and compassion.

Then, you had Asuka. The German girl was slowly learning to accept the help of others and to let her emotions come through, but she was still very stubborn. She could be a pain to live with, but Misato put up with her because of the burden she, along with the other two Children, bore by piloting the Evangelions. Secretly, Asuka truly did appreciate the purple-haired woman who took care of them, but she still couldn't make herself swallow her pride enough to tell her to her face.

Finally, you had Shinji himself. When he had first been thrown head first into the world of NERV and the Eva's, he had been cursed with a significant shortage of confidence. His first battle had almost been a disaster, but he had managed to wrench his Eva free of the Angel's grip and defeat it. It was at that moment that the small seed of confidence deep within him had cracked open and begun to grow. It was a slow process, and there was still a lot of growing he had to do, but he had Misato and the two other pilots to help him in his journey, even if they didn't realize what roles they were playing. ...

After the echoes of the laugh shared by Shinji and Ritsuko had finally dissipated, the blond haired doctor cleared her throat and turned to leave the room.

"Alright, Shinji, I'm going now. The orderlies will be in shortly to take off all those sensors and help you get on your feet. I'm going to Asuka and Rei's room now to check on them, and after that I'll see Misato and pass on the good news. I'll let her take care of the rest. As far as I'm concerned, you should be cleared to go home within the next few days. Take care, Shinji, I'll see you at work."

With that, Ritsuko turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving Shinji to stare up at the ceiling. That same damned ceiling. Only, this time, he didn't look up with anger or apprehension... No, for the first time, Shinji looked at the ceiling of his room... And smiled.

Before he realized it, an hour and a half and passed, and he was still smiling up at the ceiling. He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of a door opening. Turning, he was greeted by two of the nurses as they wheeled in a cart covered in assorted bottles and other medical accessories. Seeing his confused expression, one of the nurses smiled and explained that they were just some vitamin shots to help his strength return, ordered personally by Dr. Akagi.

As the nurses attended to his monitors and IV needles, Shinji found himself excited at the prospect of being able to walk around again. It had been several days since he had walked around, and being stuck in that bed was beginning to get to him. After the final needle was removed and the puncture wound covered in a bandage, the larger male orderly asked Shinji the question he was simultaneously waiting for and dreading at the same time: "So... Ready to get out of this bed?"

Shinji gulped and nodded.

"Alright then, I'm going to need you to sit up and shift your weight this way...", the orderly directed while signaling which way he was referring to, "Yep, just like that."

Shinji slowly lifted himself into the position the orderly was directing him towards, wincing at the still present pain in his chest. It has subsided considerably since his first attempt to leave the room a couple of days before, but it was still a chore to exert any sort of effort that utilized his diaphragm and upper chest.

"Very good, Shinji", the female orderly commended as he reached an upright position, wheezing painfully as he did, "Now, we're going to get you to stand up. Don't worry about falling back, my assistant will support you as you go. Now, let's do this..."

Shinji firmly planted his hands beside him on the bed and prepared to left himself while the male orderly firmly took hold of his right bicep.

"Okay... On three... 1...2...3...", said the female orderly as Shinji inhaled deeply and pushed while the male orderly gently pulled up. Straining with the effort, Shinji slowly raised himself off of the bed. It took what seemed like a lifetime due to the pain radiating out from his chest, but it was over before he knew it. As the pain that shot through his chest slowly subsided, Shinji realized that he was standing on his own. The nurse had let go of his arm, but the hand was still poised to grab onto it should Shinji show any signs of falling.

After gaining his balance, Shinji slowly raised his foot and tried to take a step forward. He found it surprisingly easy, considering his legs hadn't been used in about a week. Taking another step forward, he turned and looked at the orderlies who returned his look with warm smiles.

"Very good, Shinji-kun", said the female orderly, (her name was Makota, Shinji noticed as he read her name badge), "Now, let's see if you can keep up this pace. Do you need to use the restroom?"

He hadn't noticed before, but his bladder was actually quite full. Nodding enthusiastically, he slowly hobbled over to the washroom and took care of that little problem. Upon exiting, he stopped as he noticed the needles laid out on the cart, on of which Makota was now holding in her hand.

"What is that, exactly?", Shinji asked , apprehensively eyeballing the needle in her hand.

"This is just a vitamin shot, like I said earlier", replied Makota, "Ritsuko wants to make sure you heal as quickly as possible. Don't worry, we'll only have to do this twice, once now and again when you finally check out of the hospital. Now, I need you to bare your arm, please."

Complying, Shinji raised his sleeve and watched as Makota sterilized the injection site with an alcohol pad.

"Okay, now you're going to feel a slight pinch..."

Shinji didn't even wince as the needle pierced his arm. Having spent so much time in his Eva had steadily boosted his pain threshold to incredibly high levels. He hadn't really thought much of it before, but now he looked back and realized that he had endured things that no normal person could have dealt with.

"_Guess I'm not as weak as I used to be...", _he thought to himself as a small smile formed on his face.

"Good job, Shinji", Makota complimented him as he took the series of shots without showing any signs of discomfort, much less pain, "Now, this last one is a special steroid, developed specifically for Eva pilots. Ritsuko created it from a hyper-purified form of LCL a few years ago, but she just perfected it a few months back. It's actually the same LCL that is going to be put into the Plug Tanks that we're installing now."

"Plug Tanks?", Shinji asked.

"Oh right, they haven't told you about that yet...", Makota replied, "We've been working on them for quite a while now. They're total submersion tanks that are filled with a hyper-purified form of LCL. The subject is completely submersed in the fluid and is connected to a feeding tube. The LCL is constantly cycled through a complex filtering system. There is a special plant deep under the Geo Front that handles the purification and filtering processes. They should be up and running in the next few weeks. We'll only use them for the most serious of injuries, though, and the Eva pilots will have first priority. Hopefully, though, you'll never have to use one..."

"Wow... I didn't know LCL had any healing properties", Shinji spoke up.

"Well, usually it doesn't, but in its most purified form, it bonds with the body's natural healing processes and augments them, speeding them up and, in small amounts, improving what was there originally.", Makota explained.

"Hmmm... As cool as that sounds, I do hope I never have to use one of those things", Shinji stated, "I don't really like this place, so I'm pretty certain I won't like it inside one of those things."

"Well, let us hope it never has to come to that, Shinji", Makota replied, "Now, this last shot is a bit... special."

"How so?", asked Shinji.

"Well, I'm going to need you to turn around and lower your shorts. I have to inject it directly into your... ummm... posterior", Makota responded, blushing slightly, "There is a lot of blood flow in that area, and that will help the serum do its job much faster."

Shinji gulped audibly and turned a deep shade of red at hearing Makota's instructions.

"S..Say what now?", he stammered, "You have to inject it where?"

Sighing, Makota explained that it was rather common to have injections be taken via the buttocks, and that there was nothing to worry about.

"Now, if you would kindly drop your shorts, we can get this over with and you out and moving around", she added while simultaneously forcing any air out of the needle she was holding, sending a small amount of the serum shooting out.

Shinji, still not sure about all of this, was hesitant to just pull down his pants in front of somebody, much less a relative stranger, and most of all, a female. These were foreign concepts for him. However, he really wanted to be able to get out of his room and start walking around, so he finally complied.

"Ummmm... Okay then", he stated quietly as he slowly lowered his shorts about 3 inches, trying not to expose too much of his backside, "There, is that enough?"

"Nope. We need the whole kit 'n kaboodle on display to do this right", Makota replied.

"Crap...", was all the Third Child could muster as he grudgingly lowered his shorts the rest of the way down before letting them fall to the floor in a pile around his feet. His hands instinctively moved to his front to cover his pride.

"Oooohhh... That's cold", he grunted as Makota rubbed an iodine swab over the injection site, thoroughly sterilizing it.

"Alright, now I'm going to need you to turn around and bend over this cart", the female nurse spoke up as she motioned towards the little cart that had carried all the previous injections into the room.

"Ah come on, really?", Shinji spoke up in protest, "Is that really necessary?"

"Yep", was the only reply he received from the nurse.

Sighing in a combination of frustration and embarrassment, Shinji complied with her commands and bent over the cart, exposing his rear to anyone who cared to see. Well, anyone who happened to walk in the door at least, which is exactly what Asuka, Rei and Misato did at that exact moment...

"MEIN GOTT!"

* * *

><p>Alright, so you know how I kinda said that the promise was going to be in this chapter? Well... I took a look at what I have written so far, and then took a look at what I'm going to write, and I felt that this was just a good way to end this chapter. Ummm, having said that, I can almost guarantee you that the next chapter will, in fact, contain this elusive promise I've been teasing you about since the beginning. Well, til next time! :)<p> 


	5. Mein Gott!

**Promises made, Promises kept**

Chapter 5

* * *

><p><em><strong>Circa: 15 minutes earlier...<strong>_

Asuka and Rei both sat silently in their beds looking at a magazine and doing a Sudoku puzzle, respectively. Neither of them were actually concentrating on what was in front of them, however, they were both too preoccupied with the clock on the wall at the front of the room. It told them that it was currently 8:05 A.M. The sun was already well above the horizon, pouring its warmth and light over the slowly stirring world outside.

They had been sleeping peacefully until roughly 6:30 that morning, when Ritsuko had entered their room and set off the trap Asuka had set. Four metal bed pans borrowed (read: stolen) from other rooms had been set on a table by the door and tied to the door handle by short lengths of tape.

Ritsuko, having no reason to suspect that the door was rigged, simply turned the handle and pushed the door in, pulling the pans off of the table and sending them clanging loudly to the floor. Her heart stopped for roughly two beats and her clipboard was thrown clear as she brought her hands up to cover her ears and her knees buckled in fright.

Asuka had instantly snapped out of her deep sleep (and a wonderful dream about a certain baka, which no one needed to know about) and grabbed her pillow, ready to pounce. She had made it halfway out of her bed when the previous incident involving Misato popped into her mind and she stopped in mid-jump.

She reached behind her and felt for the switch controlling the lamp on her side and turned it on, the scene in front of her quickly coming into focus. As she laid her eyes on the senior scientist now collapsed to the floor, clutching her chest and breathing very, very hard, she could only mutter a quiet "Oh..."

"Asuka! What in the hell?", Ritsuko yelled as she managed to catch some of her breath, "You want me to have a heart attack, don't you?"

"Well... That's what you get for not knocking!", came the fiery reply, "Besides, I figured Misato would have warned you after what happened to her..."

"Yes... She did, but still, Asuka... Don't you think your paranoia is a little misguided? For God's sake, you're in the most secure facility on the face of the planet, do you really think an unauthorized individual is going to try and come in here and do something... Unsavory? With all the cameras trained on this door, they wouldn't have a chance."

"I'm not worried about some stranger...", said Asuka as she looked down at her feet, her eyes avoiding contact with Ritsuko's, "I'm worried about that baka-hentai down the hall... We all know he's a full blown pervert!"

Ritsuko could only look at Asuka with an expression of incredulity.

"You think Shinji would do something like that?", Ritsuko inquired, curious as to why Asuka would make such claims.

"Well... Yes... Maybe... I dunno...", the redhead replied halfheartedly, "But that's not the point! At the apartment, he's always coming into my room without permission..."

Ritsuko stopped her at that point. She had heard about Shinji's so called "illicit" visits to Asuka's room from Misato. Nine times out of ten, they were to check on her when she had been crying or to see if she needed anything. The other times, it was to do his weekly chore of cleaning up after the red headed tornado.

"Asuka... I know exactly what you're talking about. Misato has been keeping me up to date with the comings and goings of my three pilots. If you will recall, the only times Shinji has entered your room were times when you had need of him or when he was there to pick up after you as part of his chores. How, pray tell, do these instances amount to Shinji being a pervert?"

Asuka was speechless. True, Shinji did enter her room without her permission, but, now that she thought about it, Ritsuko was right. He had never snuck in with the express purpose of spying on her. Come to think of it...

He had barged in after she cried out in her sleep following her near-defeat inside Mt. Asama. He had shaken her awake and held her until she stopped shaking. As soon as she had realized who it was that was holding her, however, she had thrown him out and called him a pervert.

He had come in following the battle with Matarael in which their Eva's were nearly melted, and would have been had Shinji not used Unit 01 as a shield against the acid. Even though her pain had been nothing when compared to his, he had still been more concerned with her well being than his own. She had woken with a yelp and he was in her room in less than ten seconds. She had let him comfort her for a few moments, but she quickly realized what was happening and threw him out while calling him a pervert.

After Sahaquiel nearly destroyed Unit 01 and Asuka was distraught at not being able to handle the situation on her own, Shinji had let her fall asleep beside him on his cot after she had snuck into his room...

"_Wait... _I_ snuck into _his_ room that time... Does that mean... That... No... It can't be...Am I a pervert as well?... I like him. NO! I MEAN, I'M _NOT _LIKE HIM! NOT LIKE HIM, DAMMIT!..."_, the Second Child found herself thinking. She was broken of her reverie as Ritsuko cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Asuka? Are you alright? You seemed to space out for a moment there..."

"What? Ohh... Yeah.. Sorry, I'm fine. Just thinking..."

"About Shinji?"

The deep shade of red that filled in Asuka's cheeks, along with the wide eyed glance she threw at the doctor, answered her question better than any words could.

"WHAT? Why would you say that... I mean... Maybe... I don't know what I was thinking..."

Ritsuko could only smile as the girl stammered her response.

"It's okay, Asuka... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No... It's not that. It's just that... I don't know how to tell you... I don't know how to tell anyone..."

"I understand. Being your age is hard enough, throw in all the hell we put you through on a regular basis and it becomes almost unbearable.", Ritsuko stated, "Just know, me and Misato are here to listen and help if we can."

"And, I'm sure that Shinji would be willing to listen as well...", she added.

At this, Asuka's cheeks, which had begun to regain their usual tone, quickly returned to their previous deep shade of red.

Ritsuko was about to continue when Rei spoke up from the other bed "What about Ikari-kun?", she asked, having obviously just woken up.

Asuka and Ritsuko looked first at each other, and then at Rei with looks of complete confusion.

"Wait, you just woke up? After all that noise earlier?", Asuka couldn't believe it.

"Yes. I am a very deep sleeper. I always have been. Why? What hap..."

She caught sight of the bed pans lying on the floor, along with the numerous papers and notes that had been attached to Ritsuko's clipboard. Raising her left eyebrow slightly, she turned to Asuka, who grinned guiltily and looked away.

"What... Ohhh... Right... I forgot you had set up that little... diversion... last night. I'm assuming that Dr. Akagi was the one to fall into it?"

"Hehe... Yeah...", replied Asuka sheepishly.

"Are you okay, Dr. Akagi?", Rei enquired of the doctor.

Chuckling, Ritsuko replied in the affirmative.

"Very good. I am glad", Rei stated cheerfully.

"Thank you, Rei. Now... on to the reason for my visit... I came by to inform the two of you that our friend Mr. Ikari has just been cleared by me to be taken off of bed rest, effective today. He should be up and about in a couple of hours. As soon as Misato gets back up here from the Eva Repair Bay, she will resume custody of the three of you and you will be allowed to visit Shinji. She should be up here no later than 9:00 A.M. Unit 01 is scheduled to be completed a little before then."

The two girls brightened up visibly at the news.

"That's wonderful, Dr. Akagi.", Rei stated, "Don't you agree, Asuka?"

"Yeah... I guess...", Asuka replied, trying hard to make it sound like she didn't care, but failing miserably.

"Well then, I think you two should try and go back to sleep, at least for a little bit. I've other responsibilities to attend to, so I'll leave you two alone. And Asuka, remember what I said... About Shinji...", Ritsuko stated as she gathered up her papers and rearranged them on the clipboard, "Alright, I've got my duties to take care of, so I will see you two later."

As she opened the door to leave, she turned back and added "He cares about you, you know. He cares about both of you. More than you think. Let him help, if he offers, it'll be good for all of you..."

After the door had clicked shut, Asuka laid back in her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to get her thoughts in order.

This had been two hours ago. Now, as she sat holding the magazine in front of her, she found herself thinking about Shinji again. He could be a complete idiot at times, but she found an odd sense of happiness in being around him. It was as though, as big of a baka as he was, he always had the best intentions in mind whenever he did something for her or Rei.

_And, he can be so cute whenever makes one of his goofy faces..._

Asuka sat bolt upright at that moment, causing Rei to jump slightly.

"Asuka... Are you alright?", the blue haired pilot asked.

"What? No, I wasn't thinking about Shinji! Why woul..." She froze as she realized that what Rei had asked had nothing to do whatsoever with the response she was currently giving, "Er... Yes, I'm okay. Just a... Muscle spasm, is all."

She quickly brought the magazine up to cover her face, but not before catching sight of the knowing grin now stuck on Rei's face.

The First Child was about to make a retort when the door to their room was thrown open and a purple-haired mess made its entrance.

"Gooooooddddd Morning!", Misato exclaimed jubilantly, "And how are my dear Children this wonderful, wonderful day?"

Asuka and Rei swore that they could actually see the Major vibrating.

"Misato? Are you... feeling okay?", Asuka spoke up.

"Huh? What? Me? Ohhhhh Yeah... "I'm feeling _goooodddd..._ I've been up since 8 A.M yesterday, making sure the repairs to the Eva's were done, but it's okay, though... I've been sticking to a steady regiment of these babies...", Misato replied as she held up a small can of a heavily caffeinated coffee drink and tossed it to Asuka.

Catching the can, Asuka began to scan the nutrition information label on the back, noting immediately something very disconcerting.

"Misato... You do realize that only one of these cans contains almost 3 grams of caffeine, right? How many have you had?", the redhead asked nervously.

"Oh... I dunno... three or four... Or ten... I lost track after my second one... Who knows, really? It's okay, though, because I am awake and alert and that's all that matters! GAHHHHH!"

Asuka and Rei jumped in fright at the Major's sudden scream.

"Whoops... Sorry about that...", she apologized, "I am a little on edge, to tell the truth... I swear, those technicians are always trying to go the easy route when repairing the Eva's. I've been running back and forth across several square miles of the Geo Front all night, making sure they don't skimp on the important things."

She paused and her eyes seemed to glaze over for a few moments as she stared out into space.

Asuka and Rei could only look at each other with confused expressions before Misato regained her focus and continued.

"Sorry about that... Zoned out for a moment... I haven't had a can in the last hour. I think the effects are slowly starting to wear off... But, all that is beside the point. I have some wonderful news! I ran into Ritsuko a little while ago and she told me that she had cleared Shinji to be taken off of bed rest! Isn't that great?"

"We know, Misato. Dr. Akagi came in here earlier and told us herself. We've been waiting for you to get here so we can go visit him", Rei stated.

"Oh... Well, in that case then... What are we waiting for?", Misato exclaimed, walking over and dragging each girl out of their beds before throwing their respective outfits into their arms, "We can go as soon as you two get dressed!"

Asuka took one look at the loose NERV t-shirt and baggy sweatpants that Misato has thrust upon her and made a disgusted noise.

"Do you really expect me to walk around wearing something like... This?", she snorted, "Why couldn't you get me something to make me look cute from the apartment? Hell, I would even take my school uniform over this stuff!"

"I'm not sure why you are complaining, Asuka", asked Rei as she began to undress, "I find these clothes to be comfortable and efficient. Besides, I have come to believe that looking... "cute"... does not necessarily rely on which clothes the person is wearing. I feel that it is in how the person carries themselves and..."

She stopped as she slowly became aware of the strange looks Misato and Asuka were giving her, (perplexed and highly annoyed, respectively), and turned around to hide the fact that she was now blushing deeply.

"Well then...", Misato spoke up after a few awkward moments of silence, "Waddya say we get going, eh? I'm sure you two are excited about seeing Shinji.."

Asuka snorted again and retorted. "Pbbbttt... Yeah right. The only thing I'm excited about is being able to leave this damn room. Now I see why stupid Shinji hates it here..."

"Alright then...", Misato spoke as she clapped her hands, "Let's get going!"

As the three of them were making their way down the hall towards Shinji's room, (Asuka complaining the entire way about her clothing and how it hung off of her), Shinji was undergoing his battery of shots.

As he prepared to receive his last, very special injection, Asuka grabbed a hold of the handle to his door and pushed.

The sight she was met with was one that would haunt her for the rest of her waking life.

As Shinji was bending over the table, his backside fully exposed, he heard the door click open behind him. Being in the position he was in, he had no way to try and cover himself. He could only pray it wasn't Asuka and the rest...

"MEIN GOTT!"

At the sound of Asuka's scream, Shinji knew his prayers had gone unanswered. He turned around to see what kind of emotional trauma he had unwittingly inflicted on the girl when Misato and Rei, curious as to what had Asuka so upset, walked in and stopped in their tracks.

"Ummm... Hello there, Shinji...", Misato stammered as she pretended to look at something on the ceiling.

"I...Ikari-kun...", Rei could only stutter and avert her eyes, her cheeks turning red to match her two companions.

Asuka, on the other hand, had started slowly banging her head against the wall, muttering something about holy water, until Misato stopped her.

"Ahh... Hello there Major Katsuragi, Asuka, Rei...", Makota greeted them, oblivious to the awkward situation now developing right in front of her, "You're just in time for Shinji's last shot. After this, he'll be all yours."

"Well, could you please hurry up, so I don't have to look at his...backside anymore!", Asuka yelled from her protective nook in Misato's shoulder.

She looked up to see if the nurse had complied with her order, and, seeing that Shinji's posterior was still bared for all to see, quickly turned back. But, before she did, she could not help but notice the numerous deep-purple bruises that covered Shinji's body.

"_Mein gott... Are those from the battle? Misato told us about the bleeding, but those bruises... They just look so... painful... He went through all of that just to save me and Rei? But... Why?"_

She didn't have much time to let these thoughts float around before the nurse stuck the needle into its intended target, injected the serum and gave Shinji the all-clear to pull his shorts back up, a suggestion which he more than enthusiastically complied with.

"Alright Asuka, it's safe now", he stated.

"Are you sure?", she replied, apprehensively looking in his direction, and, seeing that she didn't need to worry about looking at anything..."frightening", turned away from Misato, "Good. Now, would you mind explaining what the hell I just witnessed?"

Shinji started to speak up when Makota interrupted him.

"I had to give Shinji a series of injections to help speed up his healing time. What you happened to walk in on was a special serum that Dr. Akagi developed", she explained, "Due to the large amount of blood flow found in that particular area of a person's body, it was the ideal location for the injection site. Hence, the scene that you just witnessed."

"Yeah. Exactly what she just said", Shinji added.

"Hmmm... I guess that makes sense...", Asuka replied, "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, alright? Once is two times too many for me, thank you very much."

"Oh, come on Asuka... You know you liked it...", Misato chimed in, giggling as Asuka and Shinji both gave her glares that could have melted steel.

"You shut up!", she yelled, turning beet-red in the process. Her cheeks had seen more than their fair share of red these past few days, so by now she didn't even feel whenever they filled with blood, "And why in the hell are you giggling, huh?"

Misato burst into full blown laughter at that point, unable to contain it any longer. She stopped almost as suddenly as she had started, however, and the three pilots noticed that her face had taken on the distinct look of someone who had been going for near 26 hours straight, fueled primarily by caffeine and sugary snacks.

"Ughhh... I don't feel so good...", the Major stated as she began to slouch and her eyes closed halfway, "I need to get some sleep... Asuka, Rei, Shinji.. Do you think you three can take care of yourselves for awhile? I'm going to go home and completely and totally crash. I've already signed the necessary paperwork assigning your custody back over to me, so as of right now, you three are officially free to do as you please. Go and get some breakfast or something. Just, please, don't get into too much trouble... For my sake..."

"Yes Misato...", the three Children replied in sync.

Smiling groggily, Misato turned and shuffled out of the room.

"Well, I do believe my job here is done, Shinji", Makota spoke up after the Major had left the room. She and the other orderly gathered up their things and pushed the cart out into the hallway, leaving the three pilots alone at last.

"Soooo... Ummmm...", Shinji started to speak, but was cut off by Asuka almost immediately.

"Don't you soooo ummmm me, Mister! I was just exposed to what might possibly be the most horrific thing I've ever had to witness!", she barked in her usual over-dramatic fashion, "I know those shots were necessary, but you could have warned me before we came in the room!"

"Wait.. What? Warn you? How do you think I could've known that the three of you were going to enter at that exact moment, huh? Besides, you were the one that just barged in without knocking first!"

"Asuka, he does have point", Rei spoke up, "You did just throw open the door without giving any bit of forewarning..."

"Well... That shouldn't... I mean, how...", the redhead stammered as she slowly realized that the two of them were right, "Hmmph. It doesn't really matter now anyways, does it? I've been forced to see Shinji's butt and I am officially mentally and emotionally scarred. I say we forget the whole thing ever happened and go get something to eat. I'm famished!"

Shinji and Rei could only look at each other and shrug, still astounded at how fast Asuka could change the subject.

"That actually sounds fantastic", Shinji stated as his stomach rumbled in agreement, "I haven't had a full meal in a few days and I'm pretty sure I'd even go for Misato's cooking at the moment."

His stomach turned sour for a moment, and he retracted his previous statement.

"Okay... Maybe not Misato's cooking..."

The three Children shared a laugh (yet again at Misato's expense) and prepared to head down to the cafeteria. Shinji put on the sandals that had been provided by the hospital and headed for the door. He stopped and turned around when Asuka cleared her throat and said "Forgetting something?" while holding up the shirt that had also been provided for him.

Looking down at his bare, bruised chest, his cheeks flashed a bit of color before mumbling a quasi-embarrassed "Ahh... Yeah... that might help..."

He reached out to take the shirt from Asuka when she suddenly pulled it back and held it above her head.

"Nuh uhh... What do we say?", she asked teasingly.

"Really Asuka? You're going to do this now? You know I can't chase you to get that..."

"I don't expect you to chase me. Just say please, and I'll give you the shirt. It's as simple as that.", the Second Child responded, grinning deviously.

Sighing, Shinji figured that there was only one way to get this over with, so, sighing in defeat, said "Please give me my shirt, Asuka."

"Good. Now, say Please give me my shirt, Asuka who is better at me in everything she says and does, especially when it comes to piloting the Evangelions."

"Oh come on, Asuka, now you're just being immature", Shinji protested.

"Me, immature? Hardly! You're the one who..."

Shinji made his move at this point, while Asuka was in the middle of her spiel. Crouching slightly, he launched himself forward, arm outstretched to wrest the shirt from Asuka's grasp. He failed to take into account, however, the fact that he was considerably more injured than the two girls.

Asuka saw the move coming, and more than easily moved to avoid it. However, she forgot that there was a table behind her and was not able to fully counter his attack, instead, she knocked her elbow into the table and found herself in a vulnerable position.

Shinji reached up to grab the shirt, but Asuka was having none of it. She flung the shirt behind her back and shot out her arm to stop him, not even thinking of the bruises that covered his chest until her hand had already made contact.

"_Crap...", _she thought to herself instantly.

Shinji, however, was only thinking of the searing pain now emanating from the spot where Asuka's hand was pressing into him. His eyes grew wide and a single tear rolled down his cheek. His breath caught in his chest and for a moment, he couldn't catch it.

He staggered back and leaned against the table beside Asuka, wheezing in pain.

"Ikari-kun!", Rei cried as she watched the situation unfold.

"Shinji... Are...Are you alright?", the redhead asked, genuinely concerned, "Oh God... I'm so sorry..."

"N...No... I'm fine", Shinji wheezed in between pained breaths, "It's my fault... I should have known that was going to end badly..."

He steadily brought his breathing back to normal and stood up straight. He turned to the two girls and offered a warm smile to signify that he was indeed okay.

Asuka handed him his shirt and turned away so he couldn't see the fact that her eyes were beginning to water.

"Are you alright, Asuka? You knocked you elbow pretty hard...", Shinji asked to her back.

"_There he goes again... How can he always be so concerned about others... Even after they just hurt him... I don't get it, dammit! I don't understand!", _Asuka thought to herself as she began to sniffle softly, the moisture in her eyes beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Asuka...", Rei spoke up, seeing her tears, "What's wrong?"

Asuka quickly wiped her eyes and sniffed back the remaining tears.

"Yeah. I'm good. Now, I thought we were going to get something to eat, so come on!", she said as she started towards the door.

"Asuka..."

"What, baka?"

"Can I have my shirt...Please?

Asuka looked down and saw that she was still clutching Shinji's shirt.

"Oh... Yeah", she said as she tossed it to him.

Shinji caught it and smiled as he pulled it over his head. "Thanks"

"Yeah, whatever. Now come one! They only serve breakfast until 10 o'clock!", Asuka barked at the two of them as she headed out the door.

Grinning at each other, Rei and Shinji followed after her.

* * *

><p>Okay... Okay... I know I promised the, ahem, promise, in this chapter, but, I realized that it just wasn't going to be possible, what with the way I'm planning on having the promise be laid out. Also, this chapter is significantly longer than the other 4, and I didn't like the idea of any more of an imbalance than there already is, so...<p>

Until next time, enjoy and stay gold. ;)


	6. Breakfast

**Promises made, promises kept**

**Chapter 6  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The three pilots made their way down the hall towards the elevators, a deep silence hanging over them.<p>

Asuka couldn't stop sneaking peeks at Shinji's bruised arms, following the deep-purple contusions up from his wrists to where they disappeared under his shirt sleeves. She knew they didn't stop there, however. She had gotten a good enough look at him without his shirt on to see the full extent of his injuries, and now she couldn't get the image out of her head.

_That idiot... Why did he have to go and get himself hurt like that? All he had to do was kill that Angel, and the baka went and tried to be a hero by saving me and Wondergirl... Typical Shinji, always trying to hog the spotlight... Always trying to outdo me..._

"Asuka?"

_But... If he is always trying to outdo me, why has he never tried to rub his superior synch scores in my face? Why has he never gloated over his combat record, or the fact that he's saved our...my...ass on several occasions..._

"Asuka?"

_How can he be so...so humble all the time? If I had a record half as impressive as his, I would..._

Asuka stopped as she let the thought sink in...

_I would be acting the exact same way I always do... Like an arrogant, self-important bitch..._

Shinji and Rei stood in confused silence as Asuka looked off into space. They had already called her name twice, but she was too engrossed with her own internal monologue to notice them. Her face held a troubled look, and Shinji could only wonder what was going on inside that beautiful ("_Did I just think beautiful?") _head of hers.

After a few more moments of silence, Shinji reached over and gently laid his hand on her shoulder and spoke up.

"Asuka? Are you alright?", he inquired as he quickly snapped his fingers in front of her face, "Come on, snap out of it..."

Asuka, oblivious to the world around her, blinked rapidly a few times before shaking her head.

"Wha...What? I'm fine Shinji, I don't nee...", she almost shouted before realizing where she was, "Er, waddya want, baka-Shinji?"

"You seemed a little...lost...there for a second, Asuka", Shinji replied, "You just kind of zoned out. We were getting worried..."

"Indeed, Pilot Soryu", Rei spoke up, "You seemed to be looking at something that was not there. Is there something you would like talk about?"

Asuka, though still trying to make sense of what she had been thinking, was quick to respond.

"No. And if I did, you two wouldn't exactly be my first choices for someone to confide in!", she snapped, perhaps a little too quickly she thought, before turning her attention to her shoulder and changing the subject, "Why are you touching me, baka?"

Shinji realized that his hand was still resting on Asuka's shoulder, and quickly retracted it. He did not, however, say sorry, which Asuka silently approved of.

_The wimp's growing a backbone... Hmmm..._

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Rei spoke up.

"Ikari-kun? Soryu-san? I thought we were going to get breakfast.", she stated as she looked at the clock over the elevators they found themselves standing before, "We only have thirty minutes left until they stop serving."

"Yeah, you're right, Ayanami", said Shinji as he pressed the down arrow for the elevator, only to have the door open almost immediately, "Well, c'mon you two, I'm starving!"

"Ladies first!", Asuka yelled as she bumped her way past Shinji to enter the elevator, cursing internally as she saw the boy wince at the impact.

_Dammit, Asuka! You can't help but hurt him, can you?_

"Shinji...", Asuka spoke up as the doors to the elevator closed, "You okay? I didn't mean to...I forgot... I forgot about your bruises..."

Shinji, stunned that he was actually hearing an apology from Asuka, took a second to reply.

"Y..Yeah. I'm okay. I know you didn't mean to do it, so it's okay."

"Well... Good...", was all Asuka could say before the elevator came to a stop at their floor and opened its doors, revealing a... unique... sight.

"Oh good Lord...", muttered Asuka.

"How can that be comfortable?", Shinji said, to no one in particular.

"M...Major Katsuragi?" Rei stammered.

After Misato had left the hospital room, she had fully intended to go home, get a shower and go to bed for about eighteen hours.

She soon found, however, that this was a pipe dream. When she had stepped out of the elevator, she could barely stand. Seeing a large, empty couch conveniently placed in the hallway, Misato decided that it couldn't hurt to sit down for a bit.

She had rapidly progressed from sitting down to laying down, and then from there to sprawling out into whatever position she found to be the most comfortable. She had somehow managed to wind up half on, and half off of the couch, one knee resting firmly on the floor and the other buried in the cushions.

The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that Misato was wearing her NERV uniform, which was comprised of a rather short skirt. Unbeknownst to the passed out Major, she was letting anybody who passed by know that she was, in fact, wearing underwear.

"Well... At least they match her hair...", Shinji spoke up, only to have Asuka respond immediately by slapping him, hard, over the head as Rei stifled a giggle.

"OWWW! What the hell, Asuka?"

"That was for being a pervert. Now, help me move her into a less compromising position."

Shinji started to comply with her order, when Asuka stopped him.

"I meant Rei. You've already been help enough, baka. Go get a blanket or something to cover her up", she ordered.

Shinji, grinning sheepishly, went off to find an unused blanket in one of the empty rooms as Asuka and Rei tended to preserving Misato's modesty as best they could. There was no telling how many people had already walked past and, in addition, no telling how many of those people had been men with cell phones equipped with cameras.

Asuka made a mental note to let someone know to be on the lookout for illicit photos of the Major making their way onto the internet as Shinji returned with a blanket.

Placing it over the Major, Shinji could only smile.

_God... What a mess..._

"There. Much better", Shinji remarked as he tucked Misato in, "Now, can we _please _go get some breakfast? I can smell the cafeteria from here, and it's driving me insane!"

"Sure, sure, baka... Stop your whining. We're going. Just one more thing...", said Asuka as she gently brushed a stray strand of purple hair off of Misato's face, "Alright, that's more like it."

"_Gott... What would the Major do without us?", _she thought to herself, as the three pilots made their way down the hallway to the cafeteria.

Being a very large, very well funded organization, NERV had spared no expense when it came to building the cavernous, multistory, incredibly well stocked employee cafeteria that the three pilots now occupied.

"Wow... I can't believe I've never eaten in here...", said Shinji as he sat down with his third, fully stocked plate, "It's so big... And they have every kind of food a man could want or need! Look, they even have these tiny little pancakes!"

"I believe those are called crepes, Ikari-kun", Rei spoke up, a small smile crossing her lips, while Asuka only muttered under her breath and continued eating.

"Ohh... Well... Learn something new everyday, don't I?", Shinji remarked, smiling at the two girls, only one of whom returned the look.

"Just sit down and eat, baka-Shinji... You're embarrassing me...", said Asuka as she tried to hide her face behind a small display advertising the soup of the day.

"Oh...", Shinji replied as he took his seat and began to dig into the mountain of food he had managed to stack on his tray.

The rest of the meal passed by in relative silence, broken only by the occasional satisfied grunt that emanated from Shinji as he scarfed down a seemingly impossible amount of food.

Rei and Asuka could only look at each other, dumbfounded at the thought of a human being able to consume that much food and survive. They had reached their fill soon after sitting down, but Shinji showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Finally, Asuka couldn't stand it anymore.

"Dammit, Shinji, are you ever going to stop stuffing your face?", she exclaimed as Shinji shoved a fork-full of assorted breakfast items into his gaping maw.

"Hrmmph?", he replied, looking at Asuka with half of a pancake hanging down his chin.

"Ughhh... You're so gross, Shinji...", stated Asuka as she shook her head before turning to Rei, "And you... Don't encourage him!"

Rei, who had snorted slightly while trying to fight back a laugh, looked down at her plate and turned a bright shade of pink.

"What's wrong, Asuka?", Shinji asked through a mouth full of food, "Don't like seeing how a real man eats?"

"Gahh... No! Please, Shinji, close your mouth! That's so disgusting!", she yelled as Shinji began chuckling. Asuka pretended to gag and looked away.

Shinji finally managed to find the bottom of his stomach a few minutes later and reached over to grab Asuka and Rei's trays.

"Wha...", Asuka started before she realized what he was doing, "Oh... Thank you..."

Shinji stopped in mid-grab, shocked at what the red-head has just said. Rei shared his look of astonishment. Asuka realized that the two of them were staring at her and reverted back to usual form.

"What? You two got a problem? Or is it that you're just enraptured by my beauty?", she barked as she folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Oh yeah, Asuka... You know I can't take my eyes off of you...", Shinji responded, winking at the German girl. His eyes quickly grew wide as soon as he realized what he had just said.

Asuka turned, eyes equally wide and cheeks a deep red, and stared at the boy.

_Wow... Did he... Really just say that?_

Rei was equally dumbfounded, and could only tilt her head and stare at the two as they tried to avoid eye contact.

_Ikari-kun... You have definitely changed..._

"Ummmm... I'm gonna take these now...", Shinji said quickly as he hurried away from the table and headed for the tray receptacle.

"_Stupid...Stupid... Dammit, Shinji... Why did you have to go and say something so idiotic...", _Shinji thought as he emptied their trays and placed them on the conveyor belt that took them to the kitchen, "_This is just great... I was going to try and talk to them today about... about That, and now I'll be lucky if they even acknowledge me..."_

These thoughts continued to bounce around inside Shinji's head as he nervously made his way back to the table. He really had hoped to have a good talk with the two girls today regarding something that had been weighing heavily on his mind ever since he had regained consciousness a few days before.

_I have to tell them... I have to get this off my chest. But how in the hell am I going to go about it? I doubt they'll want to tal..._

He was interrupted by Asuka snapping her fingers in front of his face, exactly like he had done a little while earlier.

"Hellllooo? Earth to Shinji... Come in, Shinji", she said with a distinct hint of agitation, "What are you staring at, baka? You're starting to freak me out..."

Starting a little, Shinji snapped out of his introspection to realize that he had already made it back to the table, but was just standing at the end, staring off into space.

"Whaa... What?", he stammered as he came back to reality, "I wasn't staring at anything. I was just... thinking, is all..."

"What were you thinking about, Ikari-kun?", Rei asked, "Whatever it was, it seemed to be troubling you. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"No.. Well, yes.. But.. I dunno...", stammered Shinji before he was finally able to form a coherent sentence, "Well, the truth is, there is something I want to talk about, but I don't... I don't know how to go about it..."

"Well, if there is any way I can assist, Shinji, I will be glad to discuss it with you...", Rei replied, smiling warmly.

Shinji looked at her quizzically for a moment before returning the smile.

"Thank you, Rei. I'll take you up on your offer at some point...", he said, still smiling.

"_Just a lot sooner than you think...", _he added mentally, his smile faltering somewhat, a fact that was not lost on Asuka and Rei.

The three of them sat for a few moments in silence before the sound of hundreds of hungry NERV-lings filing in for their lunch break brought them back to attention.

"Wow... Have we really been in here for that long?", Asuka asked to no one in particular.

"I guess so...", Shinji replied as he looked to the massive digital clock that adorned the western-most wall of the cafeteria.

The three pilots looked at each other for a few moments before Asuka spoke up, smiling first at Shinji then at Rei.

"Hey... Let's go for a walk..."


	7. Updates and other shenanigans

**SPECIAL UPDATE:**

Hello everyone. Just a little update on some things.

I am going to finish Promises. As a matter of fact, I'm about 85% done with the next chapter, and I have a half decent outline for the remaining chapters. I'm hoping to have it clock in at no more than 10 to 11 chapters total, but, I never expected it to go as far as it has now, so take that as you will...

I'm going to go ahead and tell you that the battle with Zeruel will be... Intense... to put it mildly. You will see Shinji in a different light (I hope) after he's done with the Angel.

Also, as to the oh so elusive promise... I'm having a somewhat hard time putting in down. Every iteration I've come up with so far (in my head, mind you..) has either been too stereotypical (e.g "I promise to protect the two of you"...etc, etc...) or, it sounds like it should be in some bad Twilight fic (I.e: OVER dramatic, cheesy, just generally not good...) so I'm going to have to work on that.

Having said that, I will say this: The next chapter WILL beyond a shadow of a doubt contain the promise. I know how it will be set up, and the reactions from the two females, but, as I said, it's just a matter of how I'm going to phrase that promise. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with something that will both bring Shinji's feelings out into the open, and do so in a mature, meaningful way.

Also, a little update on my next story:

The little list of ideas I posted awhile back will still play a large role in the plot of the story, which I have decided to name "Evangelion: Awaken, My Children" and it will be much longer than Promises.

Right now, I've got a good little bit of character info and bio's written down, but I'm going to wait and start working on it after I finish Promises. I hope you guys will like it...

Well, there we go. I hope to finish Promises sometime soon, and begin work on Awaken. I figured I at least owe it to the few people who have been keeping up with Promises to let you know exactly what's going on with the story and to quell any fears about it going unfinished.

Until next time, stay cheesy. :)~


	8. The Promise

Chapter 8: The promise

* * *

><p>After making their way out of the main NERV building, the three pilots found themselves walking along one of the many tree-lined access trails that snaked their way across the interior floor of the Geofront.<p>

While the world-famous NERV headquarters was not known as a popular tourist attraction, (and this made sense, seeing as how if anyone were somehow lucky enough to make it past the first security gate without proper clearance they would be shot on sight and their body disposed of accordingly), it did offer some spectacular scenery for those fortunate enough to work there.

The man-made forest that covered the floor of HQ was filled with life, every creature being one that was either rescued after Second Impact or one of their offspring. Birds filled the sky and deer ran freely among the several hundred monitoring towers that stood alongside the trees.

The artificial lake that took up a large portion of ground level was absolutely filled to the brim with fish of all kinds, each species relegated to their own quadrant where they were fed and monitored. This also served as a food supply. When certain species reached a predetermined population count, a certain number were harvested and processed to be turned into numerous delicacies which were served in the cafeteria. These harvests occurred roughly once every 4 months, and were much looked forward to by the employees of NERV.

During the harvests, there were several days where the all clear was given for anyone to take to the lake in the numerous paddle boats available at the marina and catch their fill. Whatever they caught was theirs to keep and do with what they pleased.

As the three pilots made their way quietly along the dirt path, Shinji was taken aback at how beautiful his surroundings were. He had been at NERV for several months by now, but he had never thought of just taking a walk around the premises. It wasn't hard, every person on staff knew the three pilots by sight, and it wasn't like anyone was going to deny them the ability to take a walk.

Asuka and Rei also shared Shinji's admiration for their surroundings, but were much less vocal in their appreciation. Shinji, on the other hand, was constantly emitting excited "oohs" and "ahhs" as he kept turning and stopping to try and take it all in.

"Baka-Shinji, would you kindly at least _try _and keep up with us?", Asuka asked as Shinji's child-like behavior finally got to her, "You're going to make us late, you idiot..."

Shinji stopped jumping around and looked at Asuka, a confused expression on his face.

"Late? Late for what, Asuka?", he asked, "I thought we were just taking a walk..."

"Erm.. Well, yeah... We are, but... But I just want to hurry, that's all...", the redhead stammered as she unconsciously rubbed her arm and looked at her feet.

"But why, Asuka? We've got all day to do whatever we want to do", said Shinji, "And, I've been cooped up in a hospital bed for the past several days. All I want to do is enjoy my new-found freedom while I still can, at least until we have to go back to work."

"I agree with Shinji-kun", Rei spoke up, "We only have a limited amount of free time before we have to get back into the cockpits. I am quite enjoying being outside with the birds and all the other forest creatures. It is very peaceful."

"I don't know!", Asuka barked defensively, "I'm just... Just... I don't know, okay?"

Shinji grinned and chuckled slightly.

"So, the famous Asuka Langley Soryu... Unsure of something. I do believe this is a day for the history books!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, baka?", yelled Asuka as Shinji continued to laugh.

"Well, just today you've: Apologized to me, thanked me, and now, you're unsure of why you want to do something", Shinji replied, "I do believe Dr. Akagi would be very interested in these developments..."

"You... You shut up!", Asuka yelled, her face turning red and pointing her finger at Shinji, "You don't know what you're talking about, baka!"

"Easy, Asuka... Chill out. I'm just giving you a hard time, is all...", Shinji responded, grin still in place, "I haven't had many opportunities to do that these past few days. I'm just letting off some steam."

"Yeah... Well, watch it, baka...", said Asuka as she crossed her arms and looked away, "I'll let you off this time, but don't expect any leniency next time..."

"Gotcha."

With that, the three Children set off again. After about an hour of walking, they happened upon a covered pavilion that masked the entrance to one of the thousands of utility tunnels that criss-cross the Geofront ground floor. Feeling a little winded, the three pilots decided to take a short breather.

However, as soon as they had made themselves comfortable on a table that was serving as a makeshift bench, there came a loud hissing noise from the entrance to the tunnel.

"What the he..." was all Shinji could get out before a loud banging noise emanated from the door, followed by sounds of locks sliding open. The handle turned and the door opened, revealing two sweaty, panting individuals. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw the three Children sitting, stunned, and stopped their conversation.

"Ibuki-san? Hyuga-san?", said Shinji as the five people stood awkwardly looking at each other, "Wha... What are you two doing here?"

"Ohh... Umm..." Makoto started, scratching the back of his head as though embarrassed, "We were uh.. We were just trying to... to trace a umm... trace an electrical problem. Isn't that right, Maya?"

"Wha... Oh, yeah... We.. umm.. Detected a fault in one of the umm... circuit breakers in this sector", the 2nd lieutenant stated shakily, "And we were just down her to ummm... try and diagnose the problem..."

None of the pilots bought it for a second, but they played along anyway.

"Why didn't you just contact maintenance to go look at it then?", Asuka asked, grinning as the two lieutenants struggled to come up with a response.

"Well... ummm... There's not really a lot going on at the moment, so we decided to just go and fix it ourselves... Yeah, that's it", said Makoto, chuckling uneasily.

"Mmmm hmmm...", was the only reply they got out of Asuka, while Shinji and Rei stood by, grins steadily growing bigger by the second.

"Yeah... Sooo... We're gonna to be going now. This isn't the right uhh.. the right door. Yeah... This is door 34b-4, we're looking for uhh... 34b-7. Our mistake", Makoto stammered quickly, grabbing Maya by the hand and gently prodding her back into the dimly lit tunnel before adding "Hey, could uhh... Could we not mention this to anyone, eh? I would greatly appreciate it..."

The three children ran their fingers across their lips in a zipper motion signifying that they were sealed.

"Thanks...", Makoto said as he pulled the door shut and sealed it, leaving the three pilots to look at each other before breaking into uncontrollable giggles that quickly dissolved into chest heaving laughs, the three of them quite literally rolling on the ground.

"Oh...My... God...", Shinji was barely able to make out between guffaws, "I never.. ever would have pegged THOSE two as... as..."

He collapsed again, barely able to catch his breath. Asuka and Rei, now laughing more at Shinji than what they had just seen, collapsed with him. Asuka, caught up in the utter ridiculousness of the entire situation, allowed herself to lean her head on Shinji's shoulder as they clutched their stomachs. Shinji saw what she had done and momentarily tensed up, but quickly released the tension as he saw that she was laughing too hard to hit him.

The three Children remained incapacitated by laughter for several more minutes before they finally managed to bring themselves back under control. Asuka continued to rest her head on Shinji's shoulder as the laughter slowly died down to giggles, and from there to the occasional chuckle.

Rei saw how comfortable Asuka looked and smiled.

"_Those two just might have a chance after all..._", she spoke quietly, her body tensing up momentarily in surprise as she realized what she had just said.

"You say something, Rei?", Shinji asked, having sat up beside Asuka, leaving the girl laying on her back looking up at them.

"Wh... Ohhh. N..No, Ikari-kun...", Rei stammered, mildly horrified that she had spoken that out loud.

"Ooookay...", said Asuka from her prone position, her eyes squinting in a confused manner as she looked from Shinji to Rei and then back again, "Sooo... You two feel like continuing our little walk?"

"Yes!", Rei practically shouted, anxious to get moving again and put her little lapse in concentration behind them.

"Jeesh, Rei... It's not that exciting...", said Asuka as she gave the blue-haired girl a strange look.

Rei blushed slightly and tried to stammer out an explanation but was stopped by Shinji, who had stood up by this point.

"It's fine, Rei...", he said, laying a hand on her shoulder (much to the involuntary chagrin of Asuka), "You don't have to explain. We've been through a lot these past few days. It's perfectly understandable to be a little on edge. Hell, I'm still a little jittery myself."

"Yeah, and as much as I hate to say this, I agree with Shinji", said Asuka, not taking her eyes off of Shinji's hand "I'm sure it's just nerves."

"Yes... Nerves.. That must be it", said Rei, tilting her head and put on an uneasy smile, a fact which was missed by the other two. Shinji let go of her shoulder and focused his attention on a flock of birds that was making its way across the Geofront's sky.

"Hey, you guys wanna go down to the lake?", Asuka asked as she stood up, raising her hands above her head and leaning back into a stretch. Shinji, who was busy staring at the sky, heard the distinctive (_and adorable, _he thought) mouse-like noise that always accompanied Asuka's stretches and immediately turned to the source of the noise.

Asuka stopped mid-stretch when she noticed Shinji staring.

_Hmmm... The idiot's starting to get brave, staring at me like that... _she thought, not unhappily, _This could be fun..._

"And just what are you staring at, baka?", she asked with her usual sneer of superiority, "See something _else _you like? Not that that's a hard thing to do..."

Shinji realized that he was, in fact, staring intently at the redhead, taking in everything he could. He had been presented with numerous opportunities to do this exact same thing in the past, living with the girl certainly helped that, but here... This time... there was something different about it. Something intangible, but definitely real...

Shinji continued to stare as he let these thoughts roll around for just a few moments too long, making Asuka slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to him being so bold, and as such, was unprepared to deal with the situation in her normal way.

"Shinji... You okay?...", she asked meekly, a slight look of concern crossing her face.

"What? Ohh.. Sor... Err, Yeah.. I'm good", he replied, a slightly embarrassed grin making its way across his features, "Just got a little... lost..."

"Lost, Ikari? How so?", asked Rei.

"Well... You know... I wa...", Shinji started before being interrupted by Asuka.

"I think it's obvious, Rei", said Asuka, turning around and folding her arms to her chest, "Our Shinji here was lost in the numerous facets of my stunning beauty! He's only a man, after all... He can't help it."

She heard Shinji's breath catch momentarily, and she immediately knew why.

_Did I just call him... a Man? , _she thought quickly, her brow furrowing as the implications of that simple word sunk in, _What is wrong with me today?_

There was a short moment of silence as Shinji let Asuka's words (or more specifically, word) sink in, only to be broken by Rei.

"Ahh... Now I understand, Asuka", she said, a genuine smile making its way across her face, "You are indeed very beautiful. Shinji is right to to appreciate your beauty in any way he can."

The other two pilots spun and stared, wide eyed. In a tree far above them, a rather large bird took to the sky in a flurry of feathers and leaves.

"REI! Where in the _hell _did that come from?", Asuka nearly screeched, the shock of hearing the blue-haired girl say something so... bold... knocking her back and sending her mind reeling, "I mean... What.. Why?.. I mean, come on.. I don't.."

As Asuka continued to stammer and sputter, her mental gears slipping and grinding, trying to regain some semblance of traction, Shinji managed to find the mental acuity necessary to form a coherent response.

"Wow... Rei... That was, umm... unexpected, to say the least...", he said, rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.

Rei cocked her head to one side, unsure of what exactly they were talking about, when, suddenly, she realized precisely what she had just said. Her eyes grew wide, her jaw slowly dropped and her cheeks began to burn.

"Uhh... Umm... I … I... Oh my...", she began, her lips starting to tremble slightly, "I... I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me... I... I usually don't just blurt out things like that... I..."

What came next, no one expected. Shinji, surrounded by two stammering, dumbstruck girls, began to chuckle. It started as a slight giggle in the very bowels of his throat, then made its way to his mouth where it slowly grew in strength, steadily becoming a hearty laugh, the sound of which was enough to knock Asuka's gears back into alignment.

"Wha... What the hell are you laughing at, baka-Shinji?", she barked, cheeks glowing a deep shade of red.

Shinji tried to respond, but every time he attempted to speak up, his laughs redoubled. He was already leaning forward, hands resting on his knees to support himself. If it got any worse, he would wind up back on the ground, and he had just wiped the dirt off from earlier.

"It's... It's just... I just can't...", he managed to squeeze out between guffaws, "I just... Can't believe... Can't believe what... What I've been hearing today..."

Shinji finally managed to bring himself back under control, his laughs slowly dying as he caught his breath. He looked up to see both girls staring at him, agitated looks stuck to their faces.

"Well, I am glad _you're _having fun with all of this, baka..", Asuka spoke up, "I personally find today to be quite... (_wonderful) _annoying. How do you think _I _feel, huh? After what Rei said? How would _you _feel, huh baka?"

Shinji looked up at the two girls, and smiled. He saw their agitated frowns falter ever so slightly, and took this as a sign that he was doing _something_ right...

"Well... If I were you, Asuka...", he stated slowly, thoroughly thinking through his next words, "I would be flattered. I mean, how many times have you heard Rei comment on something in such an... open... manner?"

The redhead thought for a second before speaking.

"Well... Never, I guess..."

"That's right", said Shinji, "So... I am going to take this as a sign that she is becoming more... social, shall we say. I thought that's what we were going for, is it not?"

Asuka replied with the only answer she could.

"Yeah... I guess...", she said, a slight bit of apprehension in her voice, "I'm just not comfortable being called beautiful by another girl, is all... Something about it just... Weirds me out..."

"I am sorry if I offended you in any way, Asuka...", Rei spoke up, "I am still getting used to these social situations, and as such, I seem to be prone to outbursts that could be considered inappropriate by some of those around me..."

"Rei, it's fine. Like I said earlier, you don't need to explain so much", said Shinji, his trademark warm smile appearing yet again, "We understand. We're just happy that you're actually saying these things to begin with. We told you we were going to help you break out of your shell, and, from what I've seen, you've made great progress. Isn't that right, Asuka?"

"Ohh. Yeah, Rei. You've definitely made a 180 from where you were when we all first met", she spoke, taken slightly off guard by Shinji suddenly putting her in the spotlight, "You're not as... weird... as you were. I'm... I'm kinda proud of ya, Wondergirl."

Rei looked at the ground, trying to hide the tears that were now forming at the corners of her eyes. Before the other two pilots had taken her under their wings, all she had ever known was the inside of NERV HQ and the various scientists and workers that fill the halls.

Then, one Shinji Ikari had made his way into her life. Being instantly fascinated by the enigma known as Rei Ayanami, he had slowly made his way into her life and begun to bring her out into the open, so to speak.

He was not to be alone in his efforts, though. After meeting Asuka on the Over The Rainbow, she also took an interest in the blue-haired mystery. She and Shinji had agreed that something needed to be done with the girl, so they formed an alliance, uneasy at first, to work with the girl.

She was apprehensive at first, as was to be expected, but she quickly realized that they were only trying to help her. So, she allowed them to take her with them whenever they went shopping or out to eat, the two of them offering her pointers along the way on how she should act or not act, on what she should say or not say.

Misato saw what was going on, but made no effort to intervene. She was happy to see Shinji and Asuka working together on something aside from the Evangelions, of their own volition no less, and it was actually having a positive effect on their synch rates, so she allowed it to continue.

The past few months had seen Rei undergo a tremendous transformation. The lead scientists and technicians could hardly believe their ears the first time Rei had walked in and told them all "Good Morning." Since that day, everyone had slowly started to accept the new Rei.

She even felt different. Looking back, she would realize that she had truly been... empty. She had been an empty shell. Now... Now she could sense a warmth that had never been there before. Whenever she was around Shinji or Asuka or even Misato, she felt as though she was... elevated, so to speak.

Not long after Shinji and Asuka had started leading Rei down her path of self-realization, Misato had been approached by her two charges asking if she would consider taking Rei into the apartment with the rest of them. Misato had been a little apprehensive at first, but she was soon worn down by the two pilots (the fact that she was fairly inebriated at the time certainly didn't hurt things...) and Rei had been moved in within a week.

Asuka had even allowed the girl to sleep in her room, something nobody had thought possible. Yes... Things had been looking up. Even with the intermittent Angel attacks, the bond between the three pilots had steadily grown and they were finally beginning to move away from their past heartaches and towards a brighter future.

All of these memories made their way to the forefront of her mind simultaneously, sending her tears rolling down her cheeks. Rei continued to stare at the ground, a small smile forming on her lips. Shinji and Asuka looked on until they noticed the small drops hitting the dirt in front of her. Concerned, Shinji stepped forward.

"Rei?... You alright?", he asked, slowly placing his hand on her shoulder and leaning down to see her face, "We weren't trying to upset you..."

"Yeah, Rei...", added Asuka, her tone soft and concerned, "I didn't mean to make you cry..."

Rei shook her head as she sniffed back the tears dripping off her cheeks.

"No.. It's fine...", she said quietly, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve, "It's just... Just... I... I... Thank you. It means a lot to me hearing you say these things. I'm.. I just don't know what else to say aside from that..."

Shinji looked up to Asuka and the two shared a knowing smile, both sensing that their efforts to help the girl had just been vindicated.

"It's fine, Rei", said Shinji, turning his warm smile back to the red-eyed girl, "You don't need to say anything else. We understand."

"Yeah, Wondergirl...", Asuka added, "We just want you to be... Y'know, yourself. Err, happy. You know what I'm trying to say..."

Rei giggled as Asuka tried to get the words out.

"I understand what you are trying to say, Asuka", she spoke up, "And thank you. Both of you..."

The three pilots shared a comfortable silence after this, their eyes meeting each others and smiles forming on their faces. They stayed like this for awhile before Asuka started fidgeting.

"Hey, I thought we were going to go to the lake at some point today...", she said, obviously wanting to get going before it got much later, "As a matter of fact, what time is it, Shinji?"

"Ionno. I left my cellphone in my room", he replied.

"Ughhh... Of course you did, baka", Asuka responded, trying to sound genuinely annoyed, but failing, as she pulled her own phone out of her sweatpants' pocket, "Mein gott! It's almost 3 o'clock... Have we really spent three hours at this spot?"

"It would seem so, Asuka", Rei spoke up as she flipped shut her phone, "If you wish to see the lake then I suggest we head in that direction as soon as possible.."

"Alright then!", Asuka yelled, "Let's get going! C'mon, baka!"

At this, Asuka linked her arms with Shinji and Rei and started off in the direction of the lake, oblivious to the surprised looks she was getting from the other two. The shock soon wore off, though, and the other two let themselves be dragged along as Asuka powered her way down the path to the marina.

Upon their arrival, Asuka immediately commandeered a small four person paddle boat and forced Shinji and Rei to act as her chauffeurs around the lake.

"Asuka, you do realize that there are four sets of peddles in this boat, right?", Shinji spoke up after a few minutes of unusually difficult peddling.

"Yeah. And?", came the usual response, "What's your point?"

"Well... I couldn't help but notice that me and Rei seem to be the only ones peddling", he said cautiously, fully expecting a slap to the head for his trouble. When it failed to come, he continued, "and while it's not that hard to peddle with two people, having a third set of legs would sure make it easier..."

"I agree with Shinji-kun", said Rei, "While I am all for pushing myself for fitness' sake, it does seem a bit unfair for only the two of us to be peddling. We are, after all, a team."

A quasi-annoyed grunt was the only reply they received as their work load became slightly lighter. The two Pilots turned and saw that Asuka had started peddling, a visibly forced frown on her face.

"There... That better?", she asked sharply.

"Yes. Thank you, Asuka", replied Shinji as he smiled at the redhead. She quickly turned away, a slight blush forming on her cheeks, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Shinji. Turning back around, his smile involuntarily grew.

After a few hours of making their way around the lake, running into a few other NERV-lings who had decided to take a few hours to go fishing, the three Children began to grow tired. Though they were used to training for several hours a day, very little of it was dedicated to actual physical training and most of it dedicated to combat drills in the simulator or synchronization tests in the dummy plugs.

As such, their legs were quickly growing fatigued. Asuka was the first of the three to vocalize her discomfort.

"Ughhh... I'm so tired...", she moaned from the back seat, "Let's go back to shore. I need to stretch out."

"But weren't you the one who wanted to come down here in the first place, Asuka?", asked Shinji, a playfully mocking tone to his voice.

"Don't try me, baka...", Asuka replied curtly, but with an equal amount of playfulness to her tone, "I'll hurt you..."

_Just like I always do..._

Asuka frowned slightly as the thought hit her suddenly. Shinji, having turned to look at the girl, noticed this,and asked if anything was wrong.

"Huh? Oh.. No.. Well, maybe.. But... I don't wanna talk about it", Asuka replied before adding quietly, "At least not right now..."

Shinji heard the last part but decided to not inquire any further. He knew that Asuka would only get mad and probably strike him, so he let it go. After all, he also had something he needed to talk to them about...

His train of thought was broken as the paddle boat rammed its way ashore, jarring him back to reality. He had failed to notice that Rei had quietly taken over the task of steering and had pointed them in the direction of a dock.

"We have arrived at shore, Shinji", Rei stated, noticing Shinji's slightly shocked reaction.

"Ahh.. Thank you, Rei", he replied before Asuka made her way past the two of them, using his shoulder as a stepping stone to jump onto the beach. In doing so, she momentarily forgot about the bruises that covered the boys body. She heard him breathe in quickly, the distinct hissing sound of air being drawn in between clenched teeth being all too familiar to her.

_Dammit, Asuka! Stop it!, _she yelled in her mind, _Why do you keep doing this, huh? Are you bound and determined to hurt him?_

"Shinji? You okay? I forgot about the, well, y'know...", Asuka quietly asked as Shinji stepped out of the boat, holding his shoulder as he did.

"Yeah.. I'm good", he replied, still smiling, "Just give me some warning when you're going to use me as a springboard next time, huh?"

"Okay...", came the unusually subdued response from Asuka.

Shinji caught the slightly defeated tone in her voice and his smile faltered slightly.

_What is up with her these last few days?, _he thought to himself, _ She's been so... different... after the fight with Unit 03... It's like she's actually trying to show compassion now... Great... Just when I thought I was figuring her out..._

"Well, Shinji? You going to join us or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?", Asuka spoke up, bringing Shinji back to reality. He blinked a few times and looked toward the direction of her voice. He found her laying on the grass a few meters up the hill that lead to the water.

"Ohh... Uhhh... Yeah. My bad", he replied as he made his way up to join the two girls, laying down in the space between them, a fact which (_delighted) _annoyed Asuka.

"Ugh, Come on, Shinji...", she groaned as she made a deliberate show of scooting over several inches, "Don't you believe in personal space?"

"Wha... Oh, well... Yeah... I guess..", he started to stammer before a realization hit him, "Wait a minute... What are you doing, talking about personal space? I specifically remember you being the one with two truckloads of crap that had to be crammed into Misato's apartment."

"Yeah? And just what is that supposed to mean, huh?", Asuka replied hotly, even though she knew exactly what he was getting at.

"You know exactly what I mean, Asuka...", Shinji replied calmly, the slight playful tone back in his voice, "When you first moved in, who was the one who was forced out of his room? Who was the one who had to sleep in what was basically a closet surrounded by all your boxes of underwear and other God-awfully frilly things that a man shouldn't have to deal with? Huh?"

"Yet again, I have to agree with Ikari-kun", Rei spoke up, "You were the one who impeded on Shinji when you first arrived in Japan. Misato related the story to me shortly after I moved in."

Asuka was dumbfounded that both of them had her stuck. She knew that they were both completely right, but her ingrained stubbornness took over at that moment and formed her response completely on its own. Asuka was powerless to stop it.

"Hey, you shut up, baka!", she snapped at Shinji as she sat up on her arms, before turning her glare to Rei, "And you! Don't encourage him!"

Shinji and Rei stifled a laugh at the sight of Asuka's flustered face.

"What?", she snapped again before realizing exactly what they were laughing at. She placed her hands on her cheeks and felt the warmth emanating from them. Snorting, she crossed her arms and turned away to let them drain.

_What is going on with you, Asuka?, _she thought, a small frown on her lips, _You've got to stop doing that, dammit! You can't let your emotions take control like that... It'll make them (_Shinji_) think you're weak... You are not weak! _

Asuka became aware of the silence around her and slowly turned back to face Rei and Shinji.

They were sitting up, staring at her with perplexed expressions on their faces. Rei was leaning slightly on Shinji, using him to help stay stable in her awkward position. Asuka noticed this immediately, though she wasn't entirely sure why that little detail was the first thing to pop out at her. Either way, she _(did) _didn't really care.

"What are you two staring at, huh?", she barked.

"Ohh.. Nothing, Asuka..", Shinji replied calmly, "We were just wondering what you were talking about over there by yourself."

Asuka's eyes grew in size by several orders of magnitude as her cheeks lost all color. (_SHIT!)_

"Wha..wha...what are you talking about?", she stammered, trying to act nonchalant, "I wasn't saying anything..."

"Yes, you were, Asuka", Rei spoke up, "We weren't able to make out what you were saying, but you were definitely talking."

_DAMNIT! Did I really say all that out loud?, _she thought, frantically trying to think of something to change the subject. Luckily, the operations managers at the GeoFront unknowingly had the perfect thing in mind.

Somewhere deep inside NERV HQ, a senior technician typed a series of commands into a computer terminal before reaching over and flipping a series of large switches. After several seconds of waiting, numerous klaxons began to sound as the monstrous lifts supporting the skyscrapers built into the roof of the GeoFront began to come to life, slowly lowering their several-thousand ton loads back into their night time holding positions.

The alarms were known for being extremely loud, and now was no exception. As Asuka sat there trying to stammer out a response, the speakers began to belt out their extended wales. The three Children, having completely forgotten about this aspect of NERV life, instinctively moved to cover their ears.

"Shit! I forgot about those!", yelled Shinji as his hands tried to squish his ears into his skull.

"Dammit!", shouted Asuka, her voice barely audible over the auditory assault as she slowly crawled towards Shinji, "Why the hell do those things have to be so loud?"

"I don't know, Asuka", Rei added, "But I wish they would stop!"

At that moment, the lifts finished their descent and the massive locks slid into place. The alarms received the signal to stop and obliged accordingly.

"Oh... That's better", said Rei, slowly uncovering her ears.

"Oh thank God!", Asuka exclaimed as she lay back on the grass, noticeably closer to Shinji than before the interruption. Shinji noticed her closer proximity to him, but said nothing.

The three Children lay there for a moment in silence, the crickets around them beginning their nightly songs. Asuka looked over at Shinji and saw that he was staring intently at the ceiling of the GeoFront, a slight furrow on his brow. The girl immediately recognized that look. It was the look of someone with something important to say, but being unsure of how to say it.

_Sometimes I wish I could see inside that baka head of his..., _she thought suddenly. She continued to look at the _(man) _boy laying beside her and found herself stuck on the blue-gray eyes currently attempting to burn a hole in the ceiling far above.

_What __**IS **__he thinking about..., _she wondered, her own brow now furrowing slightly as she pondered the numerous possibilities.

_Is he thinking about... Me?_

_No, he can't be. Why would he..._

_Why __**WOULDN'T **__he? He is a male, after all..._

_But, still... Why.. Me? It's not like I've done anything to deserve his affection... I mean, I've caught him staring at me before, but it's not li..._

_Staring. Mein Gott... When he stares... Those eyes... It's like they can see straight through me... It's like he's seeing everything I don't want anyone to see... Every time I've caught him staring at me, I..._

_Wait... Staring... Eyes..._

Asuka snapped out of her daydream to find that Shinji was, again, staring at her, a quizzical look on his face.

_Oh crap..._

"Asuka? You okay? You were, uhh, kinda staring at me pretty hard there...", said Shinji, "There something you need to talk about?"

"What? I was not staring!", Asuka retorted, ashamed that she had been caught, "I was just.. Thinking."

"Thinking about what, Asuka?", Rei inquired from her position on the other side of Shinji.

"Well... It wasn't anything important, I guess...", Asuka lied as she turned away and started picking at her pant leg.

"Are you sure, Asuka? You had a pretty intense look on your face...", said Shinji, knowing Asuka wasn't telling them everything.

_Come on Asuka..., _she thought to herself, _Just tell them the truth..._

"Well... I didn't mean to stare...", she started, her eyes not able to meet Shinji's, "I just saw him staring at the roof and I noticed he had a troubled look on his face... I.. I was only trying to figure out what he was thinking about, is all..."

_There... Isn't that better?_

Shinji and Rei were temporarily stunned at how simple and straight Asuka's answer had been. The shock soon wore off, though, as they recalled just how open the redhead was being recently.

"Troubled? I... I didn't realize I looked like that...", Shinji said, a worried frown appearing on his lips, " I was just... Thinking as well..."

"Well, you must have been thinking about something pretty important, Shinji, because you looked like you were trying to stare a hole through the roof", said Asuka as she smiled gently, "You umm...You wanna talk about it?"

"Yes, Ikari-kun...", Rei spoke up, "Would you like to discuss your thoughts with us? Maybe we could help with whatever is bothering you..."

Shinji thought for a moment. He _did _have something to discuss with the two girls, but he had no idea how to say it, or, how the two girls would react to what he had to say.

He had to get it out in the open, though, or he would go crazy.

He had to tell them how he felt...

_Better now than never, _he thought quickly.

"Well... Actually... There is something that's been on my mind since I woke up in the infirmary...", he began, choosing his words carefully, "But I'm still not entirely sure how to say it, though... That's what's been bothering me, I guess..."

"Well, Ikari-kun, why don't you just say it the easiest way you can?", Rei asked as she sat up to look at the other two pilots, "I mean, just put it as simply as possible. If it doesn't make sense at first, then we can try and sort it out as we go along..."

"Yeah, Shinji. What Rei said", added Asuka, "I think we've both spent enough time around you to know what you'd be trying to say, so just say it."

Shinji mulled it over as he sat up to join Rei. He looked down to his feet before turning to his right to look at Rei. She met his gaze and offered a warm smile. He returned the expression before turning to his left to look at Asuka. The redhead unconsciously rolled her head to the right as though sensing someone looking at her.

For the second time that night, she found herself engrossed in the two blue-gray orbs staring at her. She realized that she was beginning to gape, and quickly averted her gaze.

Shinji turned back to look at his feet again as he tried to build up the courage to start speaking.

_Come on, Shinji... You can do this, dammit!.. Just tell them!...,_

Finally mustering up enough strength to begin speaking, Shinji took a deep breath end exhaled quickly.

_Alright... Here goes..._

"How long have we known each other? What, three, four months?", he began, slightly uneasy at first, but finding it easier and easier as each word came to him.

"Yeah... I guess... Why do you ask?", Asuka answered, unsure of where he was going with this.

"I believe so, too, Shinji...", Rei added.

"That's what I thought...", Shinji continued, looking up to the tree tops as he did so, "It's funny... I've only known the two of you for that long, but we've been through more in that short amount of time than anybody ever has or ever will... It's funny, actually..."

"What's funny, Ikari-kun?", Rei inquired, now as equally unsure as Asuka.

"When all of this started, and I first met the two of you, we didn't exactly get along that well...", he stated, still looking at the tree tops, "I mean, Rei... I don't think me and you shared more than a few words before we had to fight Ramiel, but after that..."

"I remember, Shinji... After that you started to help me... come alive, I suppose...", Rei spoke up, her eyes teary at the memory.

"And you, Asuka... Good lord... We knew each other for what, 20 minutes, before Gaghiel attacked?", he continued.

"Yeah... That sounds about right...", Asuka replied, "And then we had to fight the damn thing together in Unit 02... Gott... I still remember you in that plugsuit... It suited you, actually..."

Shinji turned to look at the girl and, finding her grinning, knew she was just messing with him.

"Yeah, well... It still suits you better...", was the response she received. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in what the boy _(man)_ had just said. Shinji, however, seemed completely unaware of the effect his little compliment had had on Asuka.

Shinji paused at that point, trying to get his thoughts back on track.

"Anyway, I said all of that to say this... Over these past few months, we have gone through so much hell together, it's ridiculous", he started again, "We've run right up to the brink of death on quite a few occasions, but we always managed to come back alive. Sometimes a little rough for wear, yes, but alive nonetheless."

"Each time, we've come back, we've acted like it was not a big deal. Like we were invincible...", he paused, "Well... I did a little, at least... But this last battle... This last battle was... different... I honestly felt like we weren't going to make it at one point... I hadn't felt like that since I was first shoved into an Eva and thrown up against Sachiel... I felt like screaming and running away..."

"Well, it's a damn good thing you didn't, Shinji...", Asuka interrupted, "Because we would all three be dead if you had chickened out."

"I agree, Shinji...", Rei added, "You were very brave that day..."

"No... I wasn't... I wasn't brave..", Shinji spoke up, a slight edge to his voice, "I wasn't being brave... To be honest, I was scared... I was scared shitless of... of..."

He paused, not sure if he could continue... He knew exactly what he needed to say, but his mouth would not cooperate. His lips began to quiver as he grew angry with himself for losing his nerve at the exact moment when he needed it most.

Asuka and Rei noticed this, and looked at each other with helpless looks on their faces.

"Well... Shinji...", Asuka spoke quietly, trying to help ease the burden of whatever it was he was trying to say, "If it helps, I... I was scared, too... I know I put up a good front, but I was... I was terrified that we were going to die..."

"Me as well, Ikari-kun", Rei added, "I wasn't sure we were going to live through that battle... And that scared me immensely..."

Shinji's look softened for a moment before turning serious again.

"Thank you, that does help...", he spoke, "However, I don't think we were scared of the same things, exactly... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid that I was gonna die, but what had me scared the most was... was..."

He stopped then, his hands trembling as he tried again to force the words out.

_Come on, Shinji! You can do this! You're so close... JUST SAY IT, DAMMIT!_

Asuka was about to say something when Shinji finally had enough of not being able to say what he needed to say. The little barrier in his mind that had usually kept him from being any sort of confident had finally reached its breaking point after several months of abuse. It shattered at that moment, and Shinji began to speak again.

"I was scared of losing the two of you!", he said finally, closing his eyes and clenching his fists as he did so, "I thought that you two were going to be taken from me, and that _terrified _me. You two mean more to me than you could possibly imagine, and if you two died... I don't know how I could go on..."

Asuka and Rei found themselves stunned into silence. They both turned to look at Shinji simultaneously, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Shinji... I... I... didn't know you felt that strongly", said Asuka as she fought back tears.

"Ikari-kun... That... That...", Rei tried to speak, but found herself unable to.

Shinji waited a few moments before speaking again, allowing the two girls time to let this little revelation sink in.

"After the battle with Unit 03, I realized something...", he began, "I realized that I don't want to live without the two of you... You mean so much to me that I can't... I can't put it into words... You two have done so much with me and for me that I can never repay you. I know I can be annoying at times, and I do apologize about that, but... Without the two of you there with me on the battle field, I know I would have been killed by now... And without you two with me everywhere else, I don't know how I could have handled all the other crap that goes on around here..."

He paused as he became aware of the sniffling sounds coming from the two girls beside him.

_Great... I knew this would happen... They don't feel the same... They're going to hate me now, I know it!_

He turned to look at Asuka only to have a red blur fill his vision. He was knocked sideways as Asuka impacted with the left side of his chest, wrapping her arms around him as she did so.

Simultaneously, Rei lunged forward and connected with his right side, her arms joining Asuka's as they encircled the boy. The three of them landed in a heap on the ground, the two girls bawling uncontrollably with Shinji lying, shocked, in between them.

"Oh God... Shinji... I'm so sorry... For everything I ever said!...", Asuka managed to get out between sobs, "I wish I had known..."

"Ikari... No one has ever said that to me before...", said Rei, "I don't know what to say..."

"Like I said earlier, Rei, you don't have to say anything...", said Shinji gently, his arms gently pulling the two of them closer, "And you, Asuka... You don't need to apologize... It's okay."

"No! Not it's not okay, Shinji!", Asuka yelled, "I'm such an idiot... All this time... And me being such a... Such a... Such a bitch! I'm so sorry!..."

"It's fine, Asuka... Really...", Shinji replied, "It's in the past now... Besides... I feel the way I do in spite of the way you might have treated me... It really doesn't matter... I still care about you... I really do. You too, Rei... Don't forget that..."

He paused to let the two girls calm down before finishing.

"There's one more thing, though..." , he said, "After I woke up in the infirmary, I swore to myself that I was going to do something for you two. I told myself that I had to promise you something, and if I didn't, and something happened to the two of you, I would never forgive myself... So, right here... Right now... I make this promise... I don't care what I have to do, or what has to happen to me... I don't care if you push me back a thousand times, I will keep coming back to try and help you... I swear, on pain of Death, to do everything in my power to protect you two. I promise that I will defend you, even if that means fighting back the Hounds of Hell themselves. I promise all of these things, and all I ask is for you two believe me... To believe in this promise... And to know that I mean it with every ounce and fiber of my being... Can you do that for me?"

The two girls were silent for a moment and Shinji was afraid they were about to start crying again when they both stirred and sat up. Shinji sat up as well and sat in silence for a few moments before Rei spoke up.

"Yes, Ikari-kun... I will believe in you...", she said, a large smile forming on her tear stained cheeks, "And thank you... Again..."

Shinji nodded in acceptance and turned to look at Asuka.

"Shinji...", she spoke quietly, almost in a whisper.

Shinji leaned forward to hear her more clearly. She uttered one word, but that one word was enough for Shinji.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>Welp... There it is... After 7 chapters and a couple of months, the promise is finally here. The burden is lifted! Now, I can focus on the battle with Zeruel, which will hopefully come fairly soon... I hope to do at least one or two chapters focusing on the three Pilots everyday lives, I.e: at school, at NERV, at home... We'll just have to see...<p>

Anyway, for those who have been following this story, I hope that the promise pleases you... I'm happy with it, so I guess that's good.

Until next chapter, stay cheesy! :)~


	9. Synch Tests

_**_NOTE: This chapter takes place immediately following chapter 1; "Thunderstorm". There was some confusion about that so I figured I'd put this little notice up here for first time readers_**_

_**Chapter 9: Synch tests  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The next morning...<strong>_

Asuka awoke, her eyes snapping open as her alarm began beeping noisily.

_Ugghhhh... Not enough sleep..., _she thought to herself as she slowly sat up in her bed and rubbed her forehead, _What kept me up so late?..._

She turned and threw her legs off the bed, only to have her feet impact with a warm lump on the floor.

"What the...", she asked quietly as she leaned over to see exactly what was under her feet. She saw what appeared to be a bundle of blankets and sheets. She went to grab at them when she noticed the bundle moving up and down, as though it were breathing. She immediately recoiled, stifling a scream as she did.

She looked around the room to Ayanami's bed to make sure she hadn't woken the girl, and reached back down to the bundle. Grabbing hold of one of the corners, she counted to three and yanked.

Her eyes grew wide as she caught sight of what was under the blankets.

"Baka? Shinji?", she was barely able to restrain herself, "What in the hell are yo..."

She paused as the events of the previous night came flooding back. The thunderstorm... Rei's nightmare and her subsequent breakdown, and... Shinji...

A single tear made its way down her cheek as she remembered everything that had transpired. Curious, she rearranged herself so as to be able to reach down to the boy. Slowly, she moved her hand towards the boys' ear. She noticed the earbud of his SDAT player was plugged firmly into his ear as she brushed aside the small tuft of hair in her way and saw the scratch that her nails had left there.

"_Shinji... I... I'm sorry...", _she whispered quietly, wiping at her eyes with her other hand.

Suddenly, Shinji shifted and began mumbling. Asuka quickly withdrew her hand and laid back down, her heart racing.

_Close... Too close..._

After a few tense moments of staring at the ceiling and trying to slow her heartbeat, she noticed that Shinji was no longer mumbling. She slowly rolled over and, slowly leaning forward, dared another look at the boy. She froze when she caught sight of his eyes, which were open... And staring... At her.

"Sorry about what, Asuka?", said Shinji quietly, a small smile on his lips.

_Crap crap crap! This is not good..., _Asuka thought quickly, trying to come up with an answer but failing to do so. She lay there, staring at Shinji for several moments before he became uncomfortable.

"Ummm... Asuka? You alright?", he spoke up, a slight tone of concern in his voice.

Asuka, finally broken of her mental deadlock, immediately reverted back to her default demeanor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BAKA-SHINJI?", she bellowed as she threw back her covers and jumped out of bed, "What are you doing, trying to take advantage of a sweet, innocent girl, you pervert?"

Before Shinji could respond, he found himself being dragged by his feet into the hallway. He tried to break free but the redhead had an iron grip around his ankles. He finally managed to form a coherent response and voiced his protest quite loudly.

"Asuka...! What the hell did I do?", he yelled as she dumped him in the hallway before re-entering her room, "Answer me, dam.."

He was cut off as Asuka threw his bedding into the hallway, catching him squarely in the face.

"Ummphh! Asuka... What is wrong with you?", Shinji yelled, throwing the blankets back at her. He began to say something else when she slapped him.

"What is wrong with _me_?", she yelled, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm not the one sneaking into girls' rooms and trying to take advantage of them!"

"But I...", he tried to respond before being cut off yet again, this time by Asuka's door slamming firmly in his face. He stared at the door for a few moments, before shaking his head and making his way back to his room.

As soon as the redhead was safe behind the door, she immediately dropped to her knees.

_Dammit Asuka!, _she whispered angrily to herself, her hands wringing the hem of her nightshirt,_ Every time you have an opportunity to show Shinji you actually care, you go and fuck it up! Why can't you just tell him, damn you! Just tell him yo..._

"Asuka? Who are you talking to?"

The redhead froze in mid sentence, her head snapping around to find the source of the question sitting up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I.. I wasn't talking to anyone!", Asuka yelped as she felt her cheeks go red.

_Not again! Come on, Asuka... Stop thinking out loud!_

"But... I heard you talking...", said Rei as she shook the last vestiges of sleep from her mind, pausing as she noticed Shinji's SDAT player laying on the floor behind Asuka.

"Was... Was Ikari-kun in here?", she asked, her eyes growing slightly wide before she also remembered the events of the previous evening. She smiled warmly as everything came back to her, "Oh... That's right..."

"Well, I'm sure glad you're taking all this in stride!", Asuka yelled at the blue-haired girl, "I, for one, am not exactly comfortable with the thought of what he might have done while we were asleep! You know how boys our age are! Perverts, the lot of them!"

"But, Asuka...", Rei spoke up, confused, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who was adamant about him staying in here with us last night..."

Asuka froze for a moment as the memory came back.

_Crap... She's right, _she thought to herself, _I did beg him to stay in here after we'd all calmed down... And then I had to go and throw him out this morning like I usually would. No wonder he was so confused..._

Rei was about to say something when there came three quick knocks on their door, followed by said door being flung open. Asuka was about to scream at Shinji for having no sense of courtesy when she noticed the purple hair and the distinctly feminine bathrobe on the intruder.

"Good morning!", Misato chirped cheerfully, her hair still damp from the shower, "And how are my girls this beautiful day?"

"I am wonderful, Misato", Rei responded, smiling warmly.

"I'm good", Asuka added quickly before getting up and heading for the bathroom.

"What's up with her?", Misato asked as she heard the shower turn on.

"I am not entirely sure, Misato...", Rei replied, "I woke up to find her sitting on her knees in front of her door. It appeared as though she may have been crying at some point."

"Crying? Do you think it might have been related to last night?", Misato asked, her eyes squinting as though in thought.

"Well, I did find Ikari's tape player on the floor behind her", Rei added, "I inquired as to why Shinji would have been in here before I recalled the events of last night. Asuka seemed to be upset that Shinji had been in here with us all night."

Misato tilted her head, a quizzical look on her face.

"But wasn't she the one who practically demanded he..." she half asked, half stated.

"Yes. I brought up that fact, and she seemed to go into a daze for a moment", Rei continued, "I was going to ask what was the matter, but that was when you opened the door."

"Hmmm...", was all Misato could think to say at the moment.

_That girl... I don't think I'll ever truly understand her, _she thought to herself, _Now I understand how poor Shinji feels..._

_Shinji... Asuka... No... It can't be... I mean, I know she can be a bit of a flirt, and Shinji is a very caring person, but... _

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rei spoke up.

"Misato?"

"Yes, Rei?"

"You don't think that... Asuka might have romantic feelings for Shinji, do you?"

Misato looked at Rei, shocked at what she had just heard. She still wasn't completely used to Rei being so open, so this statement caught her completely off guard.

"Well... I.. No.. I don't...", Misato stammered before regaining her composure, "To be honest, the thought had crossed my mind, but I guess I just brushed it off... But now that you mention it..."

She was about to continue when she became aware that the shower was no longer running.

"Now that you mention what, Misato?", Asuka asked, still toweling off her hair as she squeezed past her into the room, "What were you guys talking about?"

Misato and Rei looked at each other, their eyes growing wide.

"Ummm... Nothing, Asuka!", Misato yelped quickly before turning and exiting the room, "I'd better go get Shinji up so we can have breakfast."

"Okkayyyy...", said Asuka suspiciously before turning to Rei, "Alright, Wondergirl, Spill it. What were you two talking about?"

Rei began to stammer, trying to make up something to tell the redhead. Failing to do so, she resorted to Plan B.

"Oh... Hello Asuka, I need to go take a shower!"

With that, she jumped from her bed and ran past Asuka and towards the bathroom. Shinji walked out of his room as she did so and nearly knocked into the girl.

"Sorry, Ikari-kun!", she yelped as she ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Neither of the other Children saw how red her face had become.

_Phewww... That was too close..., _she thought, wiping her forehead and smiling broadly before turning on the water.

Shinji, still reeling from being dragged into the hallway and slapped by Asuka, stood in the hallway looking after Rei, his head tilted to one side.

_I don't know why I'm still so confused, _he thought to himself, _I should be used to nothing around here making sense..._

He chuckled at this and turned to head towards the kitchen. He stopped when he caught site of Asuka peeking down the hallway, her hair still in a towel.

Their eyes made contact for a moment before Asuka ducked back into her room and slammed the door. Shinji swore for a moment that he had seen a slight blush appear on her cheeks, but he dismissed the thought and headed into the kitchen.

In the time it took Rei and Misato to take their showers and get dressed, Shinji had managed to fill the apartment with the most wonderful assortment of smells. Bacon sat sizzling in a frying pan while sausages occupied another.

Asuka caught a whiff of this and quickly got dressed. As _(wonderful) _annoying as the boy could be (at least to her), there was no denying that his cooking skills were second to none. If not for him, she would have no doubt been forced to choke down whatever culinary abominations Misato would have prepared.

"Hmmph... At least he's good for something...", Asuka muttered quietly as she put on her house slippers and headed for the kitchen.

She found Misato and Rei already chowing down as she entered the dining room and sat down.

"Good morning, Asuka", Shinji spoke cheerfully from his post at the stove before turning around, a plate of food in his hand, "Here ya go... Just like you like it."

Thanking him with her customary grunt, Asuka dug in. She had to stop herself from moaning out loud in delight at the first bite. For some reason, today's breakfast was especially delicious. She was about to say something when Misato beat her to it.

"Shinji...", she spoke up, "Did you do something different this morning? I mean, your cooking is always good... But this... This is extraordinary!"

"I agree, Ikari-kun...", added Rei, "You have truly outdone yourself, wouldn't you agree Asuka?"

"Yeah.. It's pretty good...", came the subdued reply.

Rei and Misato looked at Asuka, and then to each other, their eyes both saying the same things.

_Something's definitely up with Asuka... Maybe her and Shinji sho..._

They didn't have long to think, however, before Shinji came over to the table. He placed his plate beside Asuka's and sat down beside her. Completely oblivious to the deep shade of red her cheeks had turned, he began eating.

The rest of the meal went by in a slightly uncomfortable silence until Misato looked at the clock and cleared her throat.

"Well! I suppose you three should finish getting ready. There's a full day of synchro tests ahead of you, and we need to be at NERV in about an hour or so."

"Yes, Misato", came the reply in unison from the three Pilots.

As Misato got up from the table, she took one last look back at the table and saw how Asuka and Rei were sitting, both arms in their laps, faces looking at their empty plates.

_Poor kids... They've got so much on their plates... Far more than anyone their age should have to deal with... I just wish we didn't have to ask so much from them..._

_**NERV HQ**_

Uggghhhhh! I hate these things!", Asuka whined loudly as she sat fidgeting in her plug, "When are we going to get to the combat simulations, huh? I thought you said we were going to be doing those first thing, Misato."

Maya Ibuki grinned at this and turned to look at the Major sitting next to her.

"Bend the truth a little, did we?", the 1st Lieutenant asked, giggling slightly.

"Well, you know Asuka... It's hard enough making her follow orders as it is", Misato replied, an equal sized grin on her lips, "I knew if I had told her the complete truth, she would have probably never even come in today. It is technically their day off, after all..."

"Well, that may be...", Ritsuko added as she walked into the room, "But, after the whole Unit 03 debacle, Asuka's synch scores have been steadily declining. We need to figure out what's causing these drops and do something about it."

"Well, duh... I know that, Ritsy...", Misato responded as she looked at Maya and rolled her eyes, unbeknownst to Dr. Akagi, "I just think that maybe they deserve a day off. We've been doing this everyday for the last week and a half. Between this and school, I think the kids deserve a break."

Ritsuko purposefully wedged herself between Misato and Maya before she replied.

"Well then it's a good thing you're not the lead scientist in charge of analyzing all this data, isn't it? Otherwise, when the next Angel attacks, we'd be sending out only two and a half Evangelions."

Misato looked up at the bottle blond and saw the fake smile the woman had put on. She leaned back in her chair and stuck her tongue out. Maya saw this and began giggling.

"What? What's so fu...", said Ritsuko before she noticed where Maya was looking. When she turned to look for herself, she found Misato's face concealed by a manila folder.

She frowned before a beep from the console caught her attention. She reached up and pressed the general coms button.

"Alright you three, you're done for now. Excellent work."

This was met with excited groans from all three Pilots as they engaged their individual plug ejection sequences.

Ritsuko walked over and typed a series of commands into the terminal and waited while the program collected and collated the Pilots' synch data into an easily understood readout. Ritsuko stood looking over the printout for a few moments, her expression slowly changing from one of approval to one of concern and then to one of outright disbelief.

Misato watched this from her seated position, waiting for Ritsuko to speak up. When it became obvious that she was going to need a little prodding, Misato spoke up.

"Ummm... Ritsuko? There anything you want to tell us?", she asked, stifling a giggle as Ritsuko jumped slightly at the sound of her voice.

"Wha? Oh... Well, the results of the synch test are right here, and I'm not sure whether I should be pleased or disappointed...", she responded uncertainly.

"Wellll... In that case, lemme see then!", Misato exclaimed as she snatched the paper out of Ritsuko's hands.

"Hey! Wai..."

Ohhh... Wow...", Misato spoke slowly as she looked over the results, "Shinji's score is... Is phenomenal! 93.6%? That has be a record or something. And Rei... Her score has jumped 8 points since last time. But... Then there's this..."

She pointed to the name at the bottom of the page. Ritsuko immediately knew to whom she was referring to.

"Yes... Asuka's baseline has dropped yet again", she spoke up, the disappointment in her voice coming through loud and clear, "It's only by three points this time, but, still..."

"Her score was only 49.7%", Misato finished the sentence for her.

"But... How can she even pilot with a score as low as that?", asked Maya.

Ritsuko was about to answer when the door to the control room opened and the three Pilots walked in, fresh from their showers.

"As low as what?", Shinji asked as he took a seat at one of the terminals, Asuka taking the seat next to him as Rei stood on, still toweling her hair.

"Well... We've got the results back from the synch tests...", Ritsuko spoke up slowly.

Asuka visibly sank at this. She knew exactly what Ritsuko had to say, and she wasn't looking forward to it. Even while she was in the simulation plug, she knew she wasn't doing as well as she should have been. There was this intangible yet distinct feeling of distance from her Eva that she was definitely uncomfortable with, yet, nothing she did could shake it.

She had tried clearing her mind every time before she entered the simulation... It hadn't worked. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the memories of the past few weeks.

Unit 03..._(Shinji...)_

The hospital..._(Shinji...)_

The lake... _(Shinji...)_

The promise... _(Shinji...)_

A single tear threatened to make its way down her cheek before she wiped it away. She sniffled slightly and turned to look at Shinji.

_That... Baka... Why can't I... DAMMIT!_

Shinji heard the sniffle and turned to look at the girl. He moved his hand to place it on hers, but figured that it probably wasn't the best time.

_Not right now..., _he thought...

The two pilots turned back to Ritsuko as she continued reporting the results of the tests.

"I'm not sure how to put this, ummm...", the usually confident and well spoken doctor struggled to say, "But... Well, these scores are a little strange."

"What she means to say is that the scores are definitely interesting", Misato spoke up, "Shinji, you managed to break 93%, and in doing so breaking several records."

Shinji visibly brightened at this, but instantly felt a sense of unease come over him.

_Ritsuko said the scores were strange, but mine were phenomenal... What can she mean by..._

_Asuka... Oh no... This isn't going to be pretty..._

"Rei, your scores are up eight points since last time", Misato continued, "Your baseline was up to 75.6%. Well done."

A heavy silence fell on the group as Misato paused at the last name on the list. She rubbed the back of her neck, visibly uncomfortable.

"Ummm... Shinji, Rei..", she spoke quietly, "Could, umm.. Could you two leave the room for a minute? I would like to discuss this with Asuka in private."

Shinji obediently stood up and started for the door, only to be pulled back. He looked down and saw that Asuka had taken firm possession of his arm.

"N..No...", she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper, "I want... I want them to stay..."

"Asuka... Are you sure?", Misato asked, clearly stunned.

"Yes... I want them here...", she replied, pulling slightly on Shinji's arm. He looked up and over to Rei. She looked back to him, uncertain as to what she should do.

Shinji bowed his head for a moment before looking back to Asuka. She looked up at him, a distinct look of pleading on her face.

_Shinji... If there is ever a time for you to have a backbone... Please, for my sake, let it be now..._

Shinji let out a sigh and smiled warmly.

"Okay, Asuka...", he said, "I'll stay."

Asuka's eyes grew for a moment and she had to restrain herself from throwing herself at him and enveloping him in a hug.

"In that case, I will stay as well, Asuka...", Rei spoke up from where she was standing. She made her way over to the other two and sat down on the other side of Asuka. Shinji joined the two girls in sitting, Asuka never letting go of his arm.

Misato and Ritsuko stood, stunned at what had just transpired. Luckily, at least one of them were able to regain their composure and continue.

"Well then...", Misato spoke, perhaps a little too loudly, "Now that that's over, shall we continue?"

At this point, she reached over discreetly and pinched Ritsuko on the butt, eliciting a frightened squeal from the woman. The three Children jumped slightly at this and stared.

"Waddya say, Ritsy? You wanna wrap this up and tell Asuka her score?"

"Ohh.. Yes..", the blond doctor replied, rubbing the small welt on her rear as she did so, "Well, Asuka... Your scores, well... Your scores have been steadily declining these past few weeks, and today was no exception..."

Asuka involuntarily tightened her grip on Shinji's arm at the news.

"Just how low was it?, she inquired, afraid of hearing the actual number.

"49.7%"

The three Children all gasped simultaneously. Asuka tried to find a response, but found herself unable to get anything out. She was floored. The Great Asuka Langley Soryu... With a synch ratio of 49.7%? She hadn't had a score that low since the first time she had set foot in an Eva.

_How is this possible? What the hell is wrong with me... Oh God... If I can't pilot..._

She snapped back to reality when Shinji spoke up.

"But, Misato... How can that be possible? She's had more training than any of us!"

"We don't know, Shinji...", she replied, "Like I said, her scores have been steadily declining ever since the incident with Unit 03. The best we can figure is that there is some sort of mental... Disturbance, for lack of a better word, that is causing a disruption in the connection between Asuka and her Eva. We're not sure what it could be, though..."

"Well, maybe if you had asked...", Asuka grumbled quietly.

"Wait.. What? Asuka... We've been asking you if anything was wrong ever since we first started noticing your declining synch scores!", Misato retorted, slightly perturbed, "Every time we ask you, you tell us it's nothing. But, now we can see that it is obviously something. This score is an all time low across all three pilots. Shinji had a higher synch ratio when he fought Sachiel, and he had never set foot in an Evangelion before then!"

Shinji flinched at the mention of his first time in an Eva.

_Not necessarily the best choice of words, Misato_

_But... Maybe she needs to hear this..._

"Asuka...", Misato continued, "There is obviously something on your mind... Please... Just tell us what it is, and maybe we can help you resolve it. I've been asking you this for the last two weeks... So please... For your own good... Just tell us what's wrong..."

Shinji felt Asuka's hand tighten on his arm momentarily before she stood up.

"I don't know, okay!", she yelled, "I don't know what's wrong with me! Don't you think that I would have told you if I actually knew what I needed to say?"

Misato was about to reply when Asuka made a break for the door, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Asuka!", Shinji yelled after her, jumping up to follow her. He was stopped at the door by Misato clearing her throat.

"Shinji, I don't think that's the best thing to do at the moment..."

Shinji placed his hand on the door to the lab and lowered his head.

_Come on, Shinji... _ _For one time on your life... For her sake, have a backbone..._

"I don't care, Misato...", he spoke quietly, the edge in his voice quite obvious.

Misato was quite pleased with his response, though she would never show it outwardly.

_That's right, Shinji... Do this for you... Do this because it's what YOU want... Do this... For her..._

Shinji turned around to continue arguing, but caught his tongue when he saw that Misato had managed to move across roughly 20 feet of floor space in the matter of a few microseconds and done so silently. She now stood before him and began speaking, her voice barely a whisper.

"Shinji...", she paused and smiled coyly, "That's what I wanted to hear."

Shinji looked at her, shocked, for a few moments before she continued.

"Go after her... She needs you... Don't let her convince you otherwise. Can you do that for me?"

A sudden look of indecisiveness crossed Shinji's face for a moment, but he quickly replaced it with one of dogged determination. He looked Misato dead in the eye and nodded before turning and running out of the room and after Asuka.

After the door had shut again, Misato smiled broadly.

_Way to go, kiddo..._


	10. Stupid bolt Pt1

Chapter 10: Stupid bolt Pt.1

Shinji skidded to a stop outside the entrance to Unit 02's hangar. He looked further down the hall and saw no overturned carts or unconscious NERV-lings.

"_Well... She didn't go down that way...", _he whispered to himself, scratching the back of his neck in frustration, "_But where the hell cou..."_

He stopped as he noticed the door to his left.

_It's worth a try..._

He laid his palm on the biometrics scanner beside the door and waited while the machine verified his identity. A warm computer voice announced that he was, in fact, Shinji Ikari and released the gargantuan locking bars that secured the door to its frame.

Shinji put his hand against the door and gave a gentle push. Although the door weighed in excess of 20 tons and was constructed of solid steel, it moved with incredible ease and smoothness. One needn't apply any more effort than would be required to open a standard door.

Shinji stepped into the cavernous hangar housing the Red Demon and let the blast door hiss close behind him, waiting until he heard the soft click of the locks bars reengaging before he made his way towards the Eva.

He stopped in front of Unit 02 and stared for a minute at the four eyed behemoth standing before him, submerged up to its neck in LCL. Though he knew the biomech was completely immobile in its current state, what with its umbilical cable unplugged and no entry plug inserted, he couldn't help but stifle a shiver at the thought of what it was capable of.

Here stood one of the most powerful weapons that Mankind had ever unleashed upon the Earth, and it was piloted by a child.

A child... Like him.

The thought still left him disconcerted ... That the powers that be saw fit to bestow upon him and the other pilots the honor _(curse)_ of piloting these... These tools of Salvation... These mechanical...

"_Monsters...", _Shinji finished the thought out loud, his voice echoing around him. He stood there for a few more moments before turning back to the task at hand.

"Where the hell could she have gone...", he asked out loud, knowing full well nobody was there to answer him. He started to head for the Plug Insertion control room, but was stopped as a soft sob met his ears. He immediately pinpointed the origin of the noise as coming from somewhere high above him.

Looking up, Shinji began scanning the numerous catwalks that crisscrossed the air above him. He noticed a gate hanging open on one of the higher ones.

"Well, it's worth a try...", he muttered as he made his way to the elevator.

Thirty seconds and 20 stories later, Shinji found himself standing in front of the gate that had caught his attention in the first place. He stood for a moment and listened for any more sobs, but found it difficult due to the noise produced by the large fans above him as they circulated cold air around the hangar.

Nevertheless, he managed to catch a slight whisper of what sounded like a crying girl. He pulled the gate shut behind him and made his way across the walkway, shivering as he walked directly through the stream of an air conditioning vent.

As he neared the other side, the sounds of soft sobbing steadily rose in volume. He turned a corner at the other end and found himself confronted with a crying redhead. He tensed up, but relaxed when he realized that she hadn't seen him.

She was leaning back against a wall, her knees pulled up to her chest. Every so often a soft sob emanated from the girl and Shinji could hear her mumbling. He couldn't make out what she was saying, so he quietly made his way towards her.

As he neared her, the words slowly came into focus, though not all of them; some were still obscured by her legs. Still, he could make out the gist of what she was saying... And what he heard froze him in his tracks.

He couldn't believe it... Was Asuka really...

A discarded bolt lying on the floor chose that moment to make its presence known by clanging down between the slats in the floor.

She looked up at that moment and caught sight of Shinji. He realized that he had been involuntarily moving closer and that his foot had caught the bolt in question and sent it falling.

Shinji clenched his eyes shut in embarrassment and when he opened them, Asuka was staring at him, her eyes as big as dinner plates.

"Ummm... Hey, Asuka..."


	11. Stupid bolt Pt2

Chapter 11: Stupid bolt, Pt. 2

_**15 minutes earlier...**_

Asuka ran out of the control room and down the hall, tears streaming down her cheeks and spotting the floor. Her hair billowed out behind her as she turned the next corner and ran down a helpless NERV technician pushing a cart with assorted boxes and tools.

"Sorry!", she yelled out as she increased her speed and headed for the Eva hangars, Unit 02's in particular.

_Dammit, Asuka!, _she thought as she barreled down the hall, knocking down another cart of supplies as she went, _What is wrong with you?_ _Why can't you get it together, huh? You could have told them... You know you could have! He was right there... _

She reached Unit 02's hangar and activated the hand scanner. As soon as the door had opened enough for her to fit through, she squeezed in and ran to her Evangelion. She slid to a stop in front of it and collapsed against the massive faceplate. She slammed her fists down onto the four foot thick steel plating and screamed in frustration.

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!", she yelled over and over as she beat her fists bloody, stopping only when she became aware of her broken skin, "Why do I have to feel like this... Why does it have to be... To be... Him..."

She pushed herself away from the bio-mech at this point and surveyed her hands, mildly shocked at the damage. As she turned her hands over, she could feel... something... boiling up inside of her.

"Way to go, Asuka...", she growled, "Now look what you've done to yourself... And all because of..."

She stopped herself from saying the name. She couldn't believe that she was getting this worked up over someone as _(amazing) _frustrating as... as... as Him... Of all people, he had to be the one to make her feel like this. And, the worst part was, he had no idea...

Misato was right... They _had _asked her what was wrong with her numerous times. And, truth be told, she had almost told them. But, each time, her stubborn side took control and prevented her from opening up. And each time she had to tell them that nothing was wrong, a little more of her _(heart) _spirit was broken.

The more she looked back, the worse she felt. Fresh tears started to make their way down her cheeks and she reached up to wipe them away when she stopped, realizing that somebody was bound to come looking for her.

Not wanting anyone to find her like this, she quickly scanned her surroundings and, catching site of the elevator, made her way towards it.

_All I need is to be by myself for a while, get myself in order, _she lied to herself as the elevator doors slid open at her stop, _As soon as I calm down, I'll go back to them. Everything will be fine... Shinji will be fine... I'll.._

She froze at that last little bit. She looked down at the floor, her cheeks burning. Small drops fell from her face and landed on the floor with small plops. She stepped out of the elevator and shivered as the frigid air hit her.

She wiped the newest tears away and started for the other side and the small alcove she knew was there. She could hide away for a little bit until she calmed down. As she made her way across the catwalk, she came across a small security gate and pulled it open, not worrying to pull it closed behind her.

She walked directly underneath one of the massive air conditioning outlets and shivered again as the blast of near-arctic air enveloped her momentarily. The fact that her cheeks were still wet didn't help the matter, and she pulled her NERV-issued sweatshirt up over her nose and crossed her arms.

_If only these were His arms..._

She paused at the thought before picking up her pace and reaching the other side. She turned the corner and collapsed against the wall, small sobs starting to escape her. She pulled her knees up against her chest, partly to have something to lean on, but mostly from the cold.

She sat there for several minutes, nuzzling her face into her knees as the sobs slowly escaped her. In between sobs, one could occasionally make out actual words... Words which sounded awfully similar to "Shinji" and "like" and "dammit".

These were the words that one Shinji Ikari was now hearing as he stood silently watching the redhead sobbing against the wall, a stunned expression on his face.

_No... It can't be... Does she really...But, how... I..._

His mind raced as the implications of what he was hearing sank in.

_Was this what's been bothering her? All this time..._

Shinji's foot caught a stray bolt lying on the floor, sending it clanging between the slats in the catwalk and down 20 stories to the ground below. He clenched his eyes shut momentarily in an "oh shit" manner before opening them again.

Asuka's head snapped up as the bolt made its descent and she immediately locked on to her _(welcome) _visitor. As they made eye contact, her heart stuttered for a moment, and she had to resist the urge to run to him.

_Not now... Not like this... I can't let him see me like this... I can't..._

"Ummm... Hey, Asuka..."

Asuka searched for something to say, but found herself at a lost. Everything she wanted to say...

_Everything I need to say..._

Her mouth betrayed her at this point, taking its cue from the ever-shrinking part of her brain that still yearned for how things used to be, when she was number one and Shinji was just a pathetic little insect that happened to be a coworker.

"Go away, baka...", said Asuka coldly, burying her face back into her knees in shame.

_Don't go away... I need y... _

"Asuka... What's wrong?", asked Shinji, a genuinely caring note in his voice, "You ran out of there like something was chasing you... Please, talk to me. Tell what's the matter..."

"I said go away, Shinji!", Asuka repeated, her voice breaking slightly as she looked up from her knees, "I just want to be alone, alright?"

_I don't want to be alone... Dammit! I still can't tell him... _

To her pleasant surprise, Shinji did not run away. To the contrary, in fact. He took a few steps closer and knelt down so as to be on eye level with Asuka.

_Misato told me not to let her dissuade me... Do this for her, Shinji... Don't run away... You can't run away, dammit! Not this time..._

"No"

The word hit Asuka with the same impact as a fully laden jetliner. She met his gaze as he stared at her with a determined expression on his face. She opened her mouth to protest, but found herself unable to. All she could do was move her jaw up and down as she tried to gasp out what she wanted to say.

_Mein Gott... _

"No, Asuka...", Shinji continued, his eyes still locked onto hers, "I'm not going anywhere. At least until you tell me just what the hell is wrong with you. There is obviously something bugging you, I mean come on, look at yourself... This isn't the Asuka I know and..."

He paused at that point. Asuka kept looking at him, waiting for him to finish what he was going to say.

_Oh God... Please... Please finish that sentence..._

Instead, Shinji looked away, his eyes seeming to look through the wall to his right. He turned back after a moment and smiled.

"Asuka..."

She was finally able to coerce her mouth into obeying her as she replied.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"You know what... Never mind... Later... I'll tell you later... How about that?", he said after a moment of thought, the subsequent smile he gave her sending a warm tingle down her spine.

"O.. Okay...", she stammered, somewhat disappointed. She almost screamed when Shinji lightly poked her on the leg. She had been so looking forward to what he was going to say that she had zoned out for a moment.

"Now... Back on topic... Namely, you...", he said quietly, his voice warm and calm, "Asuka... Please... What's the matter?"

Asuka finally broke eye contact at that point and looked away. She still wasn't ready for this... She still couldn't tell him...

"Shinji, I... I can't.. I... I don't know... ", she whispered.

She had exhausted all other excuses over the past couple of weeks. As she sat there, desperately trying to come up with something... _anything_... to tell Shinji, she felt a slight pressure come to rest lightly on her knee.

She looked down and saw Shinji's hand resting gently on her kneecap before turning her gaze back to him.

_Mein Gott... That... That feels so.. so... right... Shinji... I... Please..._

"Asuka... Don't worry... You can tell me... Alright?", said Shinji as he rubbed her knee slightly, not fully aware of what he was doing..., "Don't worry... No one else has to know, unless you tell them yourself... Please, Asuka... Talk to me..."

Asuka felt a slight tremble starting in her hands. She made a concentrated effort to stop it, but it slowly spread up her arms and headed for her shoulders. All the memories from the past few weeks, good and bad, began to swirl around inside her head.

_Unit 03... Shinji... Bleeding from the ears... the hospital... needles... Shinji... breakfast..._

The trembling reached her shoulders and began to pick up speed as it started to gradually spread all around her body. Still, she couldn't find the words. She couldn't say it...

_The forest... the lake...Shinji... the paddle boat... The sirens..._

_Shinji... _

_The promise..._

The girl reached her breaking point. The last vestiges of her old self finally gave in and surrendered, and Asuka took full control.

She cried out and flung herself at Shinji, wrapping her arms around his chest as she began bawling uncontrollably. Shinji sat, stunned for a moment at the sudden outburst before he sprung into action, so to speak. He returned the embrace as he gently repositioned himself, slowly crawling around to better accommodate Asuka. She moved with him, unwilling to let go, and settled into his chest as he leaned back against the wall.

Reaching up with his right hand, Shinji began to softly stroke the crying girls' hair, not entirely sure why he was doing it, only knowing that it felt...

_Right..._

"It's okay, Asuka... Let it out... Don't hold back...", he whispered quietly as he tightened his grip on the girl ever so slightly.

They stayed in this position for what felt like hours, until Asuka's tear ducts were completely spent. Her sobs slowly quieted down and the distance between them slowly grew. She gave one more good sniffle and lifted her head from Shinji's chest, wiping her eyes as she did. She looked up and saw that Shinji was still smiling.

"Feel better?", he asked quietly, slowly reaching up to wipe at Asuka's cheeks as he spoke.

"Yes, thank you", she replied quietly while offering a small smile, "Shinji, I.. I'm so..."

Shinji raised his finger and cut her off.

"No no. No need to apologize", he said, "You've done nothing wrong."

"Yeah but... Shinji, your shirt. I mean..."

Shinji looked down to the rather large wet spot on his NERV t-shirt where the girl had buried her face and grinned.

"What? This?", he asked as he pulled on the fabric, "This is nothing. There are dozens more just like this one I can pull from. They had a surplus, and they all happened to be my size."

"Well...", Asuka continued, "I still feel bad. I mean, now you've got to wear this soaked shirt until we can get you another one. Plus, it's freezing up here, so there's that as well..."

"Hmm, I'll make do, I suppose..", sad Shinji, chuckling lightly before his expression turned a bit more serious, "Asuka... You still haven't told me what's wrong..."

Asuka looked down for a moment before slowly extricating herself from Shinji's embrace and leaning back against the wall, her head resting on his shoulder. She let out a sigh before speaking up.

"I don't know, Shinji... I really don't...", she said, "I mean, I do... I guess I just don't know how to say it, is all... If that makes any sense..."

Shinji thought for a moment and then nodded his head slightly. He thought back to the lakeside and the trouble he had had with talking to the two girls. Needless to say, he could relate to Asuka's plight.

"I know _exactly_ what you mean, Asuka", he said, "Trust me... It's hard sometimes, finding the right words to say. I guess the best thing to do now would be to just give it some more time. Maybe after you get a little more calmed down, the words will just come to you, ya know?"

"Yeah... Maybe...", she responded, a slight frown appearing on her face.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Shinji spoke.

"Well... They'll probably be looking for us. I guess we better start heading back to th..."

"No", Asuka spoke up, gently pushing herself closer to Shinji, "If it's okay, I'd rather just... Sit here, for a while... If you don't mind..."

"But...", Shinji started to protest, but feeling Asuka press herself against him slightly, he decided against continuing, "Okay Asuka... We'll stay here for a bit longer..."

The only reply he received was a satisfied grunt. He chuckled to himself and settled his head back against the wall. He stared at the ceiling far above as he let his mind wander, a small grin on his face.

_**One hour later.**_

Asuka and Shinji made their way down the hallway leading to the Simulation Plug control room, Misato and Rei keeping pace. All four were quiet, but the general mood was considerably more jovial than the last time the four of them had been together.

Shinji and Asuka had stayed there for almost 30 minutes before Rei and Misato had found them. The two women had waited for quite a while before setting out to find the other two pilots. It hadn't taken them long, though, to figure out where Asuka would have gone.

They had found the two Children laying comfortably against each other, dozing. Misato almost didn't want to wake them up. After all the two of them had gone through since they first met, she was glad that they were finally starting to warm up to each other.

After waiting for a few minutes, the Major reached down and gently shook the two awake. Asuka snapped her head up first, a small line of drool running from her mouth to Shinji's shirt where it had mingled with her tear stain from earlier.

Misato giggled as the girl became aware of this and quickly wiped it away with her sleeve. The sudden movement had woken Shinji who was now looking around and trying to get his surroundings. He caught site of Rei and Misato and blinked a few times before standing up. He offered his hand to Asuka and helped her up.

"Well well...", said Misato playfully, "Didn't you two look comfortable..."

"Yeah yeah...", Asuka retorted as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

"Hey, how long were we gone?", Shinji asked as he stretched his arms out behind him.

"Roughly an hour, Ikari-kun", Rei responded, "Major Katsuragi and I waited for about 30 minutes before we started looking for you."

"Why, though? Why'd you wait, I mean?", Asuka asked, now fully awake.

"Well... I figured you two would like some alone time...", Misato answered, the teasing in her voice being quite obvious, "So, I told Rei to hold on and just give you two plenty of time to, well, sort things out. If it weren't for me, Rei would have been on your tail the second Shinji ran after you."

The two pilots looked to the blue-haired girl, quizzical looks on their faces. She noticed them and blushed slightly.

"Well, I wanted to make sure the two of you were going to be fine, but Misato told me that perhaps you two needed to be alone together so you could te...", Rei began before Misato cleared her throat loudly, stopping the girl mid-sentence, "Ohh... Maybe I've said too much..."

Shinji and Asuka looked at each other and were about to inquire as to what, exactly Rei was going to say, when Misato's phone began to ring loudly. She fished the device out of her jacket pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello? Yes... I found them. Yes, they're alright. No, they.. Yes... I hear you. No, I'm not taking this lightly. Yes, but.. Okay. See you in a few."

She flipped shut the phone and deposited it back into her pocket. She shook her head and sighed.

"That was Ritsuko. She wants you three back in the Simulations 20 minutes ago, so we had better hurry back."

At that, the four had started back for the control room, the door of which they were now coming upon. Rei and Misato ran their hands through the scanner and walked in, but when Shinji attempted to do so, Asuka pulled him back.

"What the hell...", he began to protest, but stopped as he saw the look on Asuka's face, "Asuka.. What's wrong?"

She stood in silence for a moment, her hands wringing together, before speaking.

"Shinji? You remember what I said back there? About not knowing how to say what's on my mind?", she asked quietly, looking at the ground as she spoke.

"Of course, Asuka. Why?"

She took a step towards the boy, her head still facing down. Shinji involuntarily stiffened up and gulped audibly.

"Well..."

She took another step forward and, pushing herself up on her tiptoes, placed a feather soft kiss on the stunned boys' lips.

"Maybe I don't need to _say _anything...", she whispered softly as the door behind Shinji hissed open and Misato stepped out.

"Hey, what's the deal, huh?", she asked, mildly annoyed, "You two out here bein' all lovey-dovey or something?"

Shinji found himself lost for words. He gulped again as Asuka spoke up for the two of them, instantly switching into Old-Asuka mode.

"Oh, be quiet, Misato!", she barked as she moved past Shinji and into the lab, her hand brushing slightly against his as she did so, "Like _that _would ever happen!"

Shinji stood, still frozen, when Misato said his name, causing him to jump slightly.

"Easy boy...", she said playfully, "Come on, Shinji, we've got some more tests to run."

O..okay, Misato", he spoke up, finally broken of his paralysis. He turned and followed Misato into the lab as a large smile forced its way onto his face.

_**Later that day.**_

The three pilots made their way out of the testing facilities and headed for the elevator that would take them to the parking deck where Misato was currently waiting for them.

"Hey, wait up for a minute, you guys!", said Asuka as she turned and started running back the way they just came, "I think I forgot something back in the lab. I'll be right back!"

"Okay, Asuka.. Just hurry. Misato said she was hungry...", Shinji called after her.

Asuka barely heard him as she turned the corner and slowed down. She soon came to the now-empty laboratory and scanned herself in. The lights had been turned off, but she didn't need them. She knew exactly what she was looking for.

She made her way across the room and came to the door leading into the changing rooms. She walked in and headed for Shinji's side. There, laying draped over a chair was the item in question.

_That baka... Just throwing his clothes anywhere..., _she thought to herself happily.

She grabbed the t-shirt and stuffed it into her bag before running back to Shinji and Rei.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Asuka?", Rei asked as the doors slid shut on the elevator.

"What? Oh, yeah, I didn't forget anything after all.", she lied, grinning to herself.

The rest of the night passed by without much commotion at the Katsuragi residence. No other mention was made of the kiss, and, to their mutual credit, neither party acted any different than usual.

After she had closed the door to her room, Asuka quickly slipped off her NERV sweat shirt and pants and pulled on the stolen t-shirt.

Shinji's t-shirt...

She stood there, taking in the smell of it...

_HIS smell..._

She stood for a few more moments before finally lying down. She barely needed a blanket, the shirt was so big on her. Nevertheless, she pulled her blanket up to her chin and nestled herself in.

She was out almost instantly. It was a good, deep sleep, the kind of which she hadn't had in several weeks, and was full of dreams... Good dreams. Dreams about...

_Shinji_..., Asuka mumbled happily as she lay there, smiling broadly.

* * *

><p>Well... There it is. Chapter 11. I know there is a lot of WAFF and other fluffy stuff in here, but, It's not my story anymore. It truly is its own creature now.<p>

Having said that, the next chapter will take place at school, and perhaps, Zeruel will make his debut...

Who knows... Oh wait, that's right... I do. :)

Until next time, stay cheesy. ;)~


	12. School Day

Promises Chapter 12: School day.

* * *

><p>"Baka-SHINJI!"<p>

The door to Shinji's room flew open and a redheaded blur went airborne. Shinji was still half-conscious when Asuka landed squarely on top of him.

"GAHHAAH!", he gasped as all the air was forcibly removed from his lungs.

"Wake up, Shiiiinji!", Asuka yelled in a sing-song voice as she shook the poor boy out of his slumber, "Come on, baka... I'm hungry, and it's a school day, soooo... Get up!"

She leapt off of him and stood by his bed, tapping her foot as she folded her arms and stared at Shinji, a wicked grin on her lips. The boy slowly sat up and put his hand to his chest, his breath still catching slightly. He turned to look at the girl while he rubbed his eyes.

"Asuka... What in the hell was that for?", he asked gruffly, his voice several octaves lower than usual; partly from having just woken up, but mostly from the impact of Asuka attempting to use his upper body as a trampoline. She found herself strangely... _(attracted to) _intrigued by... Shinji's current vocal level.

"I already told you, Shinji!", she replied, "It's morning, it's a school day and, most important of all... I'm hungry! So get up and come make us breakfast. Rei and Misato are already up as well."

Shinji grumbled something in reply before throwing his covers off and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up shakily, still not completely awake and made his way past the grinning redhead towards the door. As he passed her, they made eye contact and Shinji instantly recalled the events of the previous day.

Thinking quickly, Shinji decided to have some fun with his _(beautiful)_ annoying intruder. As their eyes met for a few fleeting heartbeats, Shinji winked at the girl, doing so in a manner that could just as easily be dismissed as an involuntary twitch of his eye muscles. Either way, he saw Asuka's eyes widen as a slight blush formed on her cheeks.

Their gaze broke and Shinji made his way out of the room and headed for the kitchen to start breakfast, leaving Asuka alone, mildly shocked at what the boy had just done.

_Surely he wouldn't... I mean, I did kiss him... But, how..._

Her train of thought was broken as she heard the clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. She knew that in a few minutes, the entire house would be filled with the tell-tale aromas of Shinji's culinary expertise. She decided to let the matter go for now and walked into the kitchen.

_**School**_

"Stand! Bow! Sit down!", Hikari exclaimed as the teacher of class 2-A stood before them.

"Thank you, Miss Hikari", he stated, before delving into the days' lecture. Which, of course, meant that it was time for Toji to begin his daily barrage of private messages to his classmates. The primary focus of his communications were, as was to be expected, the recent revelation that Rei was now living with Shinji and Asuka.

Needless to say, he was slightly displeased at having been left out of the loop.

A small icon popped up on Shinji's laptop and he immediately knew what was in store. Nevertheless, he opened the conversation box and read the message.

_**Message from: T_Suzuhara:**_"Sooo... Prof... I hear you have a new roommate. Were ya plannin' on ever tellin' your best pal?"

Shinji groaned audibly. Asuka threw him a glance as he began typing his response.

_**S_Ikari:** "_Well, to be honest, I figured you knew already..."

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ "Nope. I had to find out through Hikari. She said Asuka told her a few days ago. But, anyways... back to tha previous subject..."

Shinji was about to type his reply when another small icon appeared, followed by a message alerting them that someone else had joined their conversation.

_**Message from: A_Soryu: **_"HEY! You two, focus on class! This isn't a social gathering, we're here to learn!"

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ "You stay outta this, Red Devil! This here's a man's conversation! No broads aloud!"

_**A_Soryu:**_ "It's spelled 'allowed', you idiot! And besides, you were the one who made this a public chat box. You have no one to blame but yourself!"

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ "Yeah, well... I blame the public school system for not teachin' me that a long time ago..."

_**A_Soryu: **_"You idiot! I just said..."

_**Message from: K_Aida: **_"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Nothing, Kensuke..."

_**A_Soryu:**_ "Yeah, nothing..."

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ Oh, nothing... Except that Rei is now living with Shinji as well...

"WHAT!", Kensuke yelled out loud, causing every person in the class to jump slightly and turn to look at him. He looked at his three friends and saw that their stares were punctuated by severe looks. He quickly got the message and sat back down, red faced, "Sorry... I had a... Bad dream..."

_**A_Soryu:**_

_**S_Ikari:YOU IDIOT! **_

_**T_Suzuhara:**_

_**K_Aida:**_ "Sorry guys :(... I just... Wow, Shinji... Were you ever planning on telling me?"

Shinji sighed out loud.

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Well, I kinda figured you would find out on your own eventually..."

_**Message from: H_Horaki:**_ "Hey, what are you guys doing! This is a class room! Show some respect!"

_**A_Soryu:**_ "Thank you, Hikari! I was just telling them the exact same thing!"

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ "There she goes again... Sucking up to tha class rep..."

_**A_Soryu:**_ "WHAT? Why you..."

A very well aimed pencil made its way through the air to make solid contact with the side of Toji's head.

_**T_Suzuhara:**_ "Oww! That's it, Red! You're gonna wish yo..."

Shinji disconnected from the conversation at that point and let the others feud as they wished. He closed his eyes and began to rub the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Asuka, realizing that he had left the chat box, looked in his direction and saw him doing this. A slightly worried look crossed her features for a moment as she watched him.

_Maybe I should talk to him a little more..., _She thought to herself, _Say exactly what I need to say..._

She opened a private chat box and began typing.

_**Private message from: A_Soryu: **_"Hey, Shinji..."

The boy noticed the small icon on his screen and thought momentarily of ignoring it. That is, until he saw who it was from.

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Yeah, what is it, Asuka?"

_**S_Soryu: **_"Ummm... About yesterday..."

Shinji's pulse jumped slightly. He chose his next words carefully.

_**S_Ikari: **_"Yeah... What about it?"

Asuka sat for a moment, her mind racing to think of what to say next.

_**A_Soryu:**_ "Well, I was thinking... Maybe I owe you some sort of explanation..."

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Asuka, I already told you... There is no explanation necessary. I understand your situation. It's tough not knowing how to say something. It's okay, really... When the right words find you, you know where to find me."

_**A_Soryu:**_ "No, not about that, baka... About the other thing... The, well, ya know... The kiss..."

Shinji's breath caught for a moment. He smiled as he began typing.

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Ah. That... Honestly, I've been wondering about that..."

_**A_Soryu:**_ "Well, you see, th..."

Before she could even finish typing, she was interrupted by another message from Shinji.

_**S_Ikari:**_ "But, hey... If we're going to talk about it... I'd rather do it in person..."

_**S_Ikari:**_ "Alone..."

Asuka froze, unable to form a coherent response.

_Alone... With Shinji... I... I..._

_**Message from: R_Ayanami:**_ "Asuka. Are you alright? You seem to be blushing quite profusely, and you have been staring at your screen for several minutes now."

Asuka snapped back to reality and realized that the girl was right. She looked at the clock and saw that she had just spent five minutes just staring blankly at her screen.

A_Soryu: "Yes Rei, I'm fine..."

R_Ayanami: "Well, okay then. If you, ummm... Need, ummm.. somebody to talk to, well... I guess... I guess you can always talk to me..."

Asuka looked in Rei's direction just as the blue-haired girl was, in turn, looking towards Asuka. Rei flashed a big smile and shot her a thumbs up. Asuka replied with a smile and halfheartedly returned a thumbs up of her own. Rei turned back to her screen and continued taking notes.

_Wow... That girl still has a way to go..., _Asuka thought, stifling a chuckle.

She turned back to her own screen and was about to type her reply when, as such things are wont to do, the bell to signal the end of class rang, sending the students scrambling to put their laptops and books away.

Asuka swore silently and closed her own laptop before shoving it into her bag. She slung her pack over shoulder and ran after Shinji, who had already made his way out of the room. She walked into the hallway and, not seeing him walking with Toji and Kensuke, began to walk the other way before the sound of a throat being cleared caught her attention.

She turned around and saw Shinji standing directly beside the door to the classroom, a warm smile on his face. She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to the punch.

"So... Wanna take a walk?"

10 minutes later they found themselves standing on the roof of the school, over looking the courtyard where a large number of students had chosen to eat their lunch. They themselves were currently digging into the lunches Shinji had prepared that morning. Neither of them had spoken a word on the way up there and, so far, this was still the case.

Finally, Asuka broke the silence.

"So... Shinji...", she began, setting her tray down beside her, "Ummm... I'm sure you have some questions about... Well, you know..."

Shinji was about to reply when Asuka started speaking again.

"But, before you ask them, I have something to say..."

She got up and moved closer to Shinji before continuing

"Shinji, I just want you to know that what I did yesterday, I did for a reason..."

"Well, I kinda figured that, Asuka...", Shinji spoke up, grinning.

"Yeah, but... I... I...", she began, but was unable to finish, her pride making one final, feeble attempt to stand up to her.

_DAMMIT ASUKA! You're so close! Just tell him!_

She clenched her fists in frustration and slammed them down against the roof a few times while a few tears began to form. Shinji reached over to put his hand on her shoulder when she suddenly stood, her face red as a few of those tears began to make their way down her cheeks.

"Asuka... Are yo", he began.

"Shinji... I... I...", the girl tried to get out. She screamed at herself internally and clenched her fists together so hard that her nails drew blood from her palms. She had had enough. She mentally shoved her stupid pride back down into whatever dark hole it had come from and assumed complete and total control. She nearly screamed as she continued.

"Shinji! I... I... I lik... Ooomph!"

At this, Shinji dove towards her, catching her in the abdomen and knocking her to the ground. He covered her body with his as four large N2 missiles streaked by over head, close enough for their wake to rustle the trees around the two.

After they had passed, the two teenagers looked up and followed the missiles flight paths towards the horizon, where they caught site of...

Their eyes grew wide.

Their hands found each other.

Their cellphones began to bellow their emergency tones.

Somewhere, an raid siren began to scream.

Mein Gott...

* * *

><p>Alright. Chapter 12. Yet again, sorry for the WAFF and other fluffy stuff, I happen to be a fan of these sort of things.<p>

Any who, I guess we all know exactly "what" Shinji and Asuka saw, now don't we... ;)

Well, until next time, Read, review, but most of all, enjoy. Stay Cheesy!


	13. Keeping his word Pt 1

Promises Ch 13: Keeping his word, Pt 1

* * *

><p><em><strong>NERV HQ<strong>_

"Pattern blue confirmed! It's an Angel!", Maya Ibuki shouted as she hurriedly typed away at her console, the parts of the defense system under her control springing to life. Racks of heavy caliber artillery and automatic weapons shot to the surface, replacing the buildings of Tokyo-3 which were now tucked safely away inside the Geofront.

"Do we have a visual on the target?", Misato barked as she ran onto the bridge. Her hair was still wet from the shower and she was clad in one half of her NERV uniform. She had been forced to grab a pair of sweatpants from the dressing room as she ran out of the bathing area, "And more importantly, are the pilots here yet?"

"Negative on both counts, Ma'am!", yelled Shigeru before he resumed barking orders through the phone to the Eva Prep crews now draining the reservoirs surrounding Units 00, 01 and 02, "Section 2 confirmed the pickup of Pilots Ikari, Soryu and Ayanami approximately six minutes ago! They are en-route now. We've given them the order to change into their plugsuits in the van."

Despite the mayhem surrounding her, Misato couldn't help but chuckle a little at that last part.

"Huh... I bet Asuka will _love _that...", she mumbled under her breath.

"Ma'am, did you say something?", Makoto asked as he pounded feverishly on his console keyboard. Misato instantly snapped back to the situation at hand.

"Nope! Now, does anybody know the whereabouts of Dr. Akagi?", she yelled as she grabbed a portable screen and began scanning over the available data.

"I'm right here...", the doctor replied as she swiftly whisked the tablet out of the Majors' hands.

"Hey!"

"Not now, Misato!", Ritsuko exclaimed as she read over the information on the screen, "Hmmm... Pattern blue... Its A.T. Field is off the charts... Our defenses aren't going to stand a chance..."

"That may be so, but we have to try everything we can to stall this thing until we can deploy the Eva's", Misato replied as she picked up her desk communicator and secured it around her head, "Patch me through to the Pilots."

"This is Miyamota", a gruff male voice answered a few seconds later.

"Agent Miyamota, this is Major Misato Katsuragi", she replied, her voice calm, a distinct air of authority pervading throughout every syllable, "Let me speak to the Eva Pilots."

"Yes, Major Katsu... Hey! Give that bac..."

He was cut off as Asuka grabbed the phone out of his hands and began speaking (well... yelling) into the receiver.

"Misato! Whose perverted idea was it to have us all change into our plugsuits in this van, huh?", the redheads' voice bellowed through Misato's earpiece, causing the woman to wince involuntarily, "I mean, come on! Shinji saw _everything!_"

Misato was about to reply when she heard a click followed by Shinji's voice.

"No I did not! I looked away, just like she said! I can't help that these roads are so damn bumpy!", the boy yelled, probably still rubbing his cheek from the slap that Asuka had undoubtedly laid upon it.

"Yes you did, you baka!", Asuka came back on the line, "You looked on purpose! I mean, not that I blame you or anyth..."

"HEY! You two! Settle down, now!", Misato yelled into her headset, the vein on her forehead sticking out farther than should be humanly possible, "Now listen, I don't care who saw what, or who felt who! All I care about is you three being prepared when you get to headquarters! Have the Agents briefed you on the situation?"

"Yes", the two pilots replied in unison the defeat in their voices coming through loud and clear.

"Good. Now, the plan is this: As soon as you arrive at the Geofront, you are going to be taken directly to your respective Evangelions and sent out to intercept the Angel", she explained before turning to Shigeru, "Lieutenant Aoba! Do we have a visual on the target?"

"One second, Major! I'm receiving the feed... now!"

He reached over and flipped a series of switches and the main display cut to static for a moment before switching to a live view from one of the surveillance cameras that dotted the landscape of Tokyo-3.

"My God...", Misato whispered as the image came on screen.

Beside her, Ritsuko's jaw was hanging limply. Her tablet screen lay cracked on the floor.

"Is.. Is that the Angel?", the doctor asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"It would appear so, Dr. Akagi...", Maya spoke up, her eyes glued to the screen.

It was vaguely humanoid, with a large, almost egg-shaped body. Two fat, barrel-like arms sat under what could only be described as a black cowl that served as its upper body. Its face was a macabre caricature of a human skull. Strange markings covered its body and a large red Core sat prominently in the middle of its chest.

Long ribbons flowed from the "head" and dragged along the ground, destroying whatever they touched. NERV and U.N. gunships hovered around it like mosquitoes and the bridge crew could see the numerous explosions erupting on its surface as dozens of missiles and explosive rounds made contact, all to no avail.

"Dammit! We need the N2 missiles! We have to take that thing down!", Misato nearly screamed as she slammed her fists down onto her console, cracking the plastic as she did, "Makoto! Where are the pilots?"

"Their transport just entered the Geofront! Currently traveling on Lift 4!", the Lieutenant replied as he brought up the video feed from inside the elevator. The three pilots were out of the van and leaning together against the side. Misato was pleasantly surprised to see that Asuka and Rei had threaded their arms through Shinji's.

"Shigeru... Bring up the audio feed from the lift... Send it to my headset only, please..."

The lieutenant looked at the Major quizzically for a moment before looking briefly at the screen. He flashed a brief smile before complying.

"...better, baka...", Asuka finished saying as the sound came through, "If you let me die... I'll... I'll... Well, I'll kill you."

"Do not worry, Asuka...", Rei spoke up, "I believe Ikari-kun will do everything in his power to make sure all three of us survive this ordeal."

Shinji looked over at the girl, a look of surprise on his face.

"Well...", he started, smiling, "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Rei. You hear that, Asuka?"

He turned to look at the girl, still grinning. Asuka was looking at the ground, a trouble look on her face.

"Asuka... What's wrong?", he asked, bending slightly to look the girl in the eye. Rei leaned around Shinji to see what was the matter.

"You got the same briefing that Rei and I did, Shinji...", the girl replied after a moment, "You know just how powerful that thing is... Aren't you scared? Even a little bit?"

Shinji furrowed his brow and straightened up. He leaned his head back against the van and stared off into space for a few moments.

"I am...", he finally replied. Asuka and Rei both looked up at him, their eyes big, as the revelation hit them.

"I am absolutely terrified, Asuka...", Shinji continued as he looked first at Rei and then over to Asuka, "But, I'm done letting that stop me. If the last few months have taught me anything, it's that fear is just something you have to deal with sometimes. And you know what, I'm doing just that... I'm dealing with this. I'm..."

He stopped suddenly, realizing exactly what he was saying. He grinned sheepishly and looked at his feet.

"Wow... That was uhh... Pretty cheesy, huh?", he chuckled as the elevator hit a slight bump. Asuka's hand dropped and wrapped itself in his, not realizing that Rei had already done the same.

Misato watched all of this with a large smile on her face, completely forgetting what was going on around her.

The angel quickly changed this.

An alarm went off, signaling an incredibly large buildup of energy within the angel's core. Maya began to speak, but didn't get the chance to finish as NERV was rocked by a devastating explosion from above ground.

Misato (and everyone around her, for that matter...) was knocked to the ground as dust and small fragments of insulation fell around her.

On the elevator, the three pilots were slammed against the side of the van as the entire Geofront shook violently. As they fell to the ground, Shinji instinctively pulled the two girls to him, shielding them from the full brunt of the impact.

"Dammit! Can't this thing go any faster?", Asuka yelled as she lay sprawled on the floor, her and Rei having landed square on top of Shinji. They wouldn't realize until later exactly how that had managed to happen.

She was about to continue when Misato's voice came over a small speaker located just above the door to the elevator.

"Are you three alright?", she asked, a slight note of panic in her voice.

"Yes, we're fine, Misato", Shinji answered from under the two girls.

"Excellent. Now, you three are roughly two minutes from the Eva hangars, "the Major continued, "I have crews standing by to put you in your respective Units as quickly as possible. We're going to deploy you all to the same spot, where you will find a cache of Pallet rifles and other munitions. You are to exhaust all of these before attempting any sort of head-on confrontation with the Angel, are we clear on that?"

"But Misato...", Asuka began to whine before she was cut off.

"No, Asuka... No arguing. I know you think you can take the target on your own, but we can't risk that", Misato said sharply, "Its A.T. Field is many orders of magnitude more powerful than any other we've recorded thus far. It is going to take all three of you to take this monster down. Shinji?..."

"Yes, Misato?", the boy answered immediately, having helped the two girls back to their feet.

"Shinji... I'm trusting you to watch over Rei and Asuka, alright?"

Shinji's gaze shot to the speaker, his eyes wide. The other two Pilots did the same before looking over to the stunned boy.

"Misato, I...", he began, but, like Asuka, was cut off by Misato before he could finish.

"I know about the promise, Shinji...", she said, "I know what you told them. I know how much they mean to you. All I'm asking is that you keep that promise, alright? Not for me... Not for you... For them, Shinji. Can you do that for me, huh?"

Shinji stood, shocked, as Misato's words sank in. He looked down, his fists clenching involuntarily as he mulled over what he had just heard.

_Come on, Shinji... You made them that promise for a reason... Now it's time to keep your word..._

He finally looked up and his gaze fell on the other two Pilots. They looked back at him for a moment before each offering him a warm smile and a slight nod of the head. Shinji set his jaw and nodded back before speaking.

"Alright, Misato... You can count on me..."

* * *

><p>So... That last line is a little cliche, I know, but... I think it works just the same.<p>

Any who, we're up to chapter 13(!) I honestly didn't see this story going as far as it has when I first started it, but, I suppose that's just how these things happen, ya know.

Having said that, next chapter will contain the actual battle with Zeruel, and it will be... Well, you'll just have to read to find out, won't you?

So, until next time, read, review, but most of all, Enjoy! Stay Cheesy! :)~


	14. Keeping his word Pt 2

A promise made, A promise kept. Ch 14

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><p>"Dammit! These guns are useless!", Asuka shouted as she threw yet another clip into her pallet rifle and continued her assault on the angel, now deemed as "Zeruel". Shinji stood beside her, twin launchers in hand while Rei was quickly draining her Gatling gun's ammo reservoir. All three watched as their rounds merely bounced off of the Angel's massive upper body.<p>

"We've already established this, Asuka!", Shinji shouted as he dropped a shell into each of the open chambers of his rocket launchers. He clicked them shut with a flick of his Eva's wrist and brought them up to his shoulder. He locked on to the Angel and fired off the two massive rounds.

They streaked past the NERV and U.N. VTOL's and made solid contact with the target. Yet again, there was no effect. Zeruel kept steadily moving forward. One of the large barrel-like structures at its side suddenly changed, morphing from a stubby appendage into a long, black streamer. The Angel swept it up and to the side almost lazily, as though it were waving away a group of mosquitoes. Six of the VTOL's were instantly vaporized, the screams of the pilots making their way across the airwaves. On the bridge, Misato and the other technicians cringed involuntarily.

"Shit!", Shinji yelled as he groped for another round, and, finding that he had expended them all, threw the launchers aside. He grabbed a spare pallet rifle and joined Asuka and Rei as they desperately tried to slow the monster's advance.

"Come on, Misato! Lemme after this thing!", Asuka shouted, her rifle eating up its last clip of ammunition. It too was tossed away along with the launchers and added to the pile of discarded weapons that littered the area around the Eva's feet, "You know these guns aren't doing a damn thing!"

On the bridge, Misato slowly clenched and unclenched her fists, the blood vessel on her forehead beginning to swell.

"Asuka... We've been over this...", she spoke calmly, barely able to control her frustration, "You are to expend _all _of your munitions before you attempt to go hand to hand with this thing. We cannot take any unneeded risk. Those are you orders, please follow them!"

Asuka resorted to swearing under her breath in German as she reached back and grabbed one of the Eva sized pistols sticking out of the massive rack behind her. She trained the sights on Zeruel and squeezed off a few rounds. Not surprisingly, they simply ricocheted off of the creature's A.T. Field and flew off into several directions. One round clipped the wing of a NERV gunship and sent it spiraling towards the ground.

"Crap!", Shinji yelled before taking off after the flaming aircraft, his Eva's feet digging two massive trenches as they searched for traction. Finally gaining purchase, Unit 01 lunged forward, Asuka watching in numb horror as it sped off in the direction of the Angel. She stood, frozen at the ludicrousness of the situation as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

_What is he doi..._

_Oh great...There he goes again... Running away..._

_Running away from trouble... Running away from the pain... Running away from..._

_Me... _

_That coward..._

A thought occurred to her then.

_No... Wait... He's running towards the Angel... _

_But... That can't be... He's not... No..._

Misato broke the girl's train of thought as she yelled after Unit 01.

"SHINJI! You stop right now! That is an order!", the Major shouted over the radio, finally noticing the plummeting NERV aircraft.

It soon became apparent, however, that he wasn't listening. Misato swore under her breath and turned her attention to Unit 02.

"Asuka! Go after him!"

Asuka shook her head, knocked back into reality by Misato's exclamation, and looked to her right. The last shells from Shinji's launchers lay, still smoking, in the indentations that Unit 01's feet had occupied only a moment before. Shinji's umbilical cable was sliding quickly through the dirt, bouncing and writhing as it did so.

She whirled around and caught site of Unit 01 as it ripped across the countryside, a house exploding under its feet like a balloon made of brick and mortar. Zeruel continued its relentless advance, its pace quickening ever so slightly as the Eva rushed towards it.

Misato watched as Unit 02 took off after its purple counterpart, a worried look on her face.

_Shinji... Please... Be careful..._

"Wha.. Dammit, Shinji! You idiot, get back here!", she yelled after him, her own Eva now charging forward. Rei stood in an indecisive shock for a moment before dropping her now empty Gatling gun to the ground. She lowered herself slightly, preparing to run after the other two Children. She stopped as Misato came over the radio, slightly perturbed.

"REI! You stay right there! That's an order!", she bellowed.

"But, Misato... Shinji.. Asuka... I...", Rei replied, her voice desperate., "I have to help them... They.. They.."

She stopped then, her mind in turmoil.

_I have to be there with them... I can't... I can't let them go this alone..._

_All they've done for me... I have to..._

Setting her jaw, Rei came to a decision. She knew Misato wasn't going to be happy with it, but at that particular moment, she really didn't care.

"I'm sorry, Misato... But I have to help them... I... I think you know why...", she spoke at last, her voice surprisingly calm and firm. She ducked slightly and launched her Eva forward, quickly gaining on the other two pilots.

"REI! STOP! GET BACK HERE, DAMMIT!", Misato bellowed as Unit 00 took off running. She stood there, stunned.

_There's no way that just happened... Did Rei... Did Rei just disobey an order? My God... Those two have certainly been busy with that girl... _she thought numbly before Maya let out a frightened gasp.

"Major! The Angel... It's picking up speed!", she yelled, her console flashing with numerous red icons, "And, it appears to be changing direction as well!"

Misato shot a quick glance to the main screen and noticed with alarm that Zeruel had begun to move towards the Eva's, its pace quicker than before. The gunships flitting around the creature were steadily running out of munitions and frantically radioing for backup. She saw Unit 00 catch up to Units 01 and 02 as Shinji plucked a flaming VTOL out of the air and took off towards a hillside.

Asuka and Rei caught up with him as he sat the aircraft down at the foot of the hill. Asuka began berating him over the radio as Unit 01 stood up. Misato watched in horror as Zeruel suddenly lifted, its A.T. Field acting as a source of propulsion. It left the VTOL's behind in a flurry of energy as it flew towards the three Evangelions and gently set itself down right behind them. Asuka and Rei slowly turned around and stared at the Angel.

"Major! I'm picking up another energy buildup! My God... It's off the charts!", the lieutenant shouted as an alarm began to bellow.

"What is...", she began

She didn't get the chance to finish her question.

Topside, Shinji had managed to reach the plummeting VTOL. He swiped it out of the air mere seconds before it impacted the ground below. He cradled the aircraft to Unit 01's chest and ran to his left just as Asuka reached him, Rei bringing up the rear.

"You idiot!", she screamed at him as she performed a skidding turn in Unit 02 to keep up with him, "Did you not hear Misato, huh? What in the hell are you thinking?"

"I agree with Asuka, Ikari-kun...", Rei added, "You deviated from the Major's orders. You could have been killed!"

"I know... I know...", Shinji replied as he gently sat the aircraft down and stood up, "I just.. I saw the plane going down and I kinda, well... panicked... I'm sor..."

He stopped mid sentence and Asuka heard him inhale sharply. A noticeable breeze blew past Units 02 and 00 and she noticed that Unit 01 seemed to be staring over her left shoulder. She slowly turned her Eva to match his gaze, and found herself face to face with the Angel, it's A.T. Field still shimmering from the effort of its short flight.

Its eyes were glowing, and she felt a sudden buildup of static electricity, even though she was surrounded by LCL. She froze, unable to react as she stared into the dark recesses of its "face". She was barely aware as Unit 01 grabbed her and Rei by the shoulders and pulled them behind him. At the same moment, the glow grew in intensity and seemed to lance out.

"_Mein Gott..."_

"ASUKA!"

The blast was powerful enough to rip through every layer of plate armor that made up the roof of the Geofront. Buildings and other support structures fell through the opening and crashed into the floor below. A particularly large skyscraper impacted directly beside the pyramid housing NERV HQ. Every person on the bridge was thrown to the ground as the entire structure shook violently.

"Damage report!", Misato bellowed after she had gotten back to her feet, "What's the status of the Pilots?"

"Unsure, Major!", Makoto shouted in reply, furiously typing at his console and flipping through status screens, "Communications were cut in the blast! I don't have audio or video!"

"Alright... Shigeru!", Misato yelled as she turned to the other technician, "You heard the man! Get on it!"

"Yes Ma'am!", came the immediate response as the lieutenant dove under his control terminal and began ripping panels from their moorings. He was half-submerged in wires and circuit boards within seconds.

"Maya, report on the Angel!", Misato barked.

"It's still active, Ma'am! It's.. Oh.. Oh God... It's floating down into the Geofront!", Maya exclaimed as she went to work redirecting the defenses towards the Angel's new position.

Misato set her jaw and, nodding, walked over to her console and pressed the general coms button.

"Shinji... Asuka... Rei... Are you there... Please come in...", she spoke, hoping that maybe they could at least hear her, even if they had no way of replying, "Please... Somebody, say something..."

There was a hint of pleading in her voice as she spoke the words.

_Please... God... Somebody... Let them answer..., _she whispered to herself. Maya slipped her hand over hers and gave a light squeeze. Misato looked over in surprise and found the lieutenant smiling up at her, despite the chaos surrounding the both of them.

"They'll answer, Misato...", she said as she released the Major's hand, "They'll save us. They always do..."

There was a loud sizzling noise and a series of pops followed by Shigeru's surprised yelp as he fell out of the control panel. Misato was about to speak up when the static from the Eva's communication signals began to crackle, small bits of a human voice making its way through.

"MiZZato! ComZZ ZZin! Come inZZ. MisZZto!", Shinji's voice struggled to overcome the static, "AsZZka, Rei! I cZZn't reZZch them ZZn thZZ radio! PlZZse! SomZZe! ComZZ in!

Misato grabbed her headset and quickly secured it in place.

"Shinji! Oh thank God! Are you okay?", she practically shouted, tears beginning to form at the edges of her eyes. The line still wasn't completely free of static, and it was tough to make out what the boy was saying, "Aoba! Get this static cleared, pronto!"

"Yes Ma'am!", Shigeru barked as he dove back into the labyrinth of wires under the control panel. Within seconds, he had managed to sufficiently reduce the static enough for Misato to clearly hear Shinji's labored pleas.

"Misato!", he yelled, his voice cracking at the effort, "Please! Can you hear Asuka and Rei? I can't... I can't reach them!"

"Shinji! Shinji, calm down!", Misato broke in, her voice level and calm. She had to maintain a sense of control, even if things were going to shit around her, "We're working on that as we speak. Now... Are you alright? Huh? Come on, Shinji... Talk to me..."

She heard the boy take several deep breaths before through her headset before he replied.

"I.. I'm fine... Misato.."

"There.. That's good, Shinji.. Come on.. Keep talking... Tell me what's going on...", Misato prodded, trying to keep the boy calm.

"I.. I.. My umbilical cable... It got severed... I've only got four minutes of power left.. I don't... I don't know about Asuka or Rei..."

There was a crackle as another voice joined the conversation.

"Well... I can't speak for Wondergirl, but I'm fine...", said Asuka, her voice slightly strained.

"Asuka! Where are you? I can't see anything through all the dust...", Shinji called over the radio, noticing a large weight on his Eva's shoulders, "I think a building landed on me... How about you?"

"I'm clear... But my umbilical cable is gone", Asuka replied, "I've only got four and half minutes of power remaining..."

"Yeah... We can see that from here", Misato spoke up, her eyes flicking back and forth from screen to screen, "What about Rei? Can either of you see her?"

"I.. I can't see anything, Misato", Asuka replied as she stood up in Unit 02 and scanned her surroundings, "There's so much damn dust..."

"Same here...", Shinji added, shrugging the skyscraper off of Unit 01's shoulders as he did so, "I can't see 30 feet in front of me... "

A large, white, metallic hand landed on Unit 01's right shoulder.

"AHHHH!", Shinji screamed as he whirled around and found himself face to face with...

Misato and Asuka jumped at the boys' sudden outburst, their pulses skyrocketing.

"Shinji! What is it? Is it the Angel?", she yelled, panic starting to creep into the edges of her mind, "Shinji! Answer me!"

"Shinji! You baka! What happened?", Asuka yelled, her Progressive Knives at the ready, "Shinji! Answer me you idiot!"

They waited for a few tense seconds before a small, girlish giggle made its way across the radio band.

The owner was quickly identified.

"Rei!", Shinji yelled, his breath catching slightly from the shock, "Don't do that! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I am sorry, Ikari-kun", the First Child replied , still chuckling, "I did not realize you were that close. I apologize for the shock..."

Asuka let out a string of German profanities.

"Rei! Don't scare us like that! I mean, you could have at least given us some warning!", she yelled as her pulse slowly brought itself back to normal, "Besides, you nearly gave poor Shinji a heart attack! You know how scared he gets..."

"Hey! I do not!", Shinji retorted, "You shut up!"

Misato let out a deep sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose as the two fell into their typical quarreling.

_I love these kids... But they're going to kill me one day..._

"Alright!", Misato spoke up loudly, interrupting the squabbling teens, "Rei, good to know you're okay. What's Unit 00's status?"

"Well, it seems to be in perfect working order, Major Katsuragi. There is only aesthetic damage", Rei replied as Asuka found her way over to the two Pilots, "However, my umbilical cable seems to be damaged or gone. I am showing three and a half minutes of power remaining."

_Figures...,_ Misato thought to herself, _All three umbilical cables are destroyed... This is just what we need..._

A beep brought her back to the situation at hand and she immediately looked to Maya's screen. What she saw did nothing to alleviate her fears.

"Dammit... The Angel is still active.", she spoke quietly, "Maya, what's its position?"

"Trying to figure that out now, Ma'am", the lieutenant replied as she brought up a window showing all of the security systems under her control, "It looks like... Wait... That can't be right... According to this, the target is..."

Topside, Shinji looked up and saw a massive shadow moving towards them.

"The Angel! I see it!", Shinji yelled as he took a few staggering steps backward, "Its... It's in the Geofront!"

"No shit!", Asuka replied, bringing up her Progressive Knives in a defensive stance, "Misato, are there any other defenses you can throw at this thing?"

"Negative, Asuka...", she answered grimly, "They were all destroyed in the explosion. You three are going to have to take it out barehanded. Looks like you got your wish..."

This pleased Asuka immensely.

"Alright... Let's go!", she yelled as she prepared to rush towards the Angel. She barely noticed the small alarm going off in the cockpit alerting her to another large buildup of energy coming from the Angel. She did, however, feel when Shinji grabbed Unit 02 by the shoulder and threw it to the side, "Wha..."

There was a flash of light in the distance and a beam of energy shot out, cutting a swath through all the dust still hanging in the air, leaving a clear, circular path to the Angel.

It shot over Asuka as she landed, hard, and she saw that Rei had also been thrown to the ground. Unit 01 was hunched over them, shielding them from the blast as it made contact with the pyramid that sat above NERV HQ, obliterating it in a purple flash.

All the personnel on the bridge were thrown violently against their consoles, bruising numerous ribs and causing several busted lips. Those standing were slammed into the nearest hard surface, be it the walls or the floor. Misato reached up and grasped the edge of the console nearest her and pulled herself back to her feet, a small trickle of blood coming from her forehead.

"That hurt...", she spoke gruffly as she tried to clear her head, "Status report!"

"Backup systems are online..", Ritsuko replied as she hurriedly typed command after command into the MAGI's main processing terminal, "All reserve generators have kicked in. We are at 85% operating efficiency and climbing. Maya! Run scans on ancillary systems 104 to 340, I want th..."

Misato drowned out Ritsuko's techno babble and turned to Makoto.

"Lieutenant, what is the status of the Pilots?", she asked as she scanned the main display for any sign of the Eva's.

"Not sure, Ma'am", he replied as his screen lit up with red warning notices signifying that the status feed from the Eva's had been severed, "It seems we still have communications, though..."

"Great! Just work on getting everything else reestablished"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Misato opened the general coms line and called out to the Pilots. Behind her, the main screen flickered back to life, showing a live feed from one of the few remaining security cameras above ground.

"Shinji! Asuka! Rei! Come in! What are your current conditions?", she asked calmly, the small cut on her forehead having finally stopped bleeding.

After a few moments, Shinji's strained voice came over the line.

"Misato... We're fine... Shielded... Unit 02... Unit 00...", he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath, "Two minutes... Power...Angel still active... Going... After it."

Misato's blood ran cold at that last part.

"Shinji! You can't! You only have 2 1/2 minutes of power left!", she yelled, her voice higher than she would have liked, "You won't make it!"

"I have to try!", he screamed back, his voice cracking, "I have to!"

With that, Unit 01 stood from its position over Rei and Asuka and turned to face the Angel. As he prepared to charge, he felt a nudge at his left. He turned and saw Unit 00 pulling itself to full height as Rei's voice came over the radio and her face appeared on a virtual monitor in the cockpit.

"Ikari-kun... If you are going to do this, then I will be forced to assist you...", she spoke softly as she slid her own prog knife into her Eva's hand, "I can't let you do this alone..."

Shinji tried to stammer out a reply, but Asuka cut him off, her own face appearing beside Shinji.

"I'm with Wondergirl on this one", she said as Unit 02 joined them, "I'm not letting you steal all the glory this time..."

"I..I..", Shinji stammered. He tried to find something to say to deter the two girls from doing this, but he knew that, no matter what, they weren't going to back down. Not from this. Not after everything they had gone through. A wicked smile crept onto his face against his will, and he chuckled, "Alright then... If you insist..."

Back on the bridge, Misato listened to all of this, her own grin now securely in place. She stood there for a few moments before an alarm brought her back to the situation at hand. She looked at Maya's screen and swore, loudly.

"Hey! You three!", she yelled over the radio, "You only have 90 seconds of power left! If you're going to kill this thing, I highly recommend you do it now!"

The three Pilots looked at their power displays and swore in unison. Shinji grabbed his Prog Knife and flicked it open, the blade glowing as it activated. He looked to Asuka and then to Rei. They nodded and all three dropped to a kneeling position, ready to pounce.

Shinji grinned maniacally and lunged forward, Unit 01 sending massive clods of dirt into the air as its feet dug in.

_God is in His heaven..., _Shinji found himself thinking, though he wasn't sure why...

* * *

><p>Alright then. Here we have the beginning of the battle. I'm not too happy with the last part of the chapter, but I've been working on this one for so long that it was starting to physically hurt every time I thought about it. I probably spent a week straight working on the first half alone.<p>

Now, as for the next chapter... It will contain the actual battle, and it will be, well, intense. It might just be the last chapter as well. I'm not sure... We'll just have to see how things go.

Finally, I would like to give a big Thank You to Belimair, who helped me immensely with this chapter.

So, until next time...


	15. Keeping his word Pt 2:5

A Promise Made, A Promise Kept

Ch 15: Keeping his word Pt. 2.5_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>He remembered... Bright lights...<em>

"Get me a stretcher, NOW!"

_**No... I... I'm fine...**_

"We've got internal bleeding! Look at... Oh God... His eye... Where is that goddamn stretcher?"

_**What's wrong with my eye? Somebody te...**_

"Come on! Get that stretcher up here! And get Her away from here!"

_**Who? Get who away? Someone answer me!**_

"Asuka! Get awa.. No, someone stop her!"

_**Asuka? What's wrong? Is she alright?**_

_She was screaming... _

_Screaming his name. _

_**Why is she...** **Why is she screaming... **_

_He looked down. There was blood. _

_So much blood._

_**That's my blood...** **What happ...**_

_A hand grabbed his shoulder. He was lifted and set down onto a thin mattress and lifted again._

_**Wha... Where are you taking me? Asuka... Where's Asuka?**_

"Asuka! I told you! Get back!"

_A pair of hands grabbed hold of his own. He looked over, and saw the red plugsuit._

_**Asuka... Are you alright... Wh.. Why are you crying?**_

_A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She began screaming, and there was a flash of purple hair from behind her flailing arms. _

_**What? I... I can't understand you... Asuka... What are you sayi...**_

_His vision began to fade, and he made a feeble attempt to reach for her. Their fingers briefly interlocked before she was pulled away._

_**Asuka! Let... Let me talk to her! Asuka! What are you trying to say?**_

_Darkness crept in, and he found it incredibly hard to keep his eyes open. He was being wheeled... Somewhere... There was a bump. Two large, white doors flew open and he passed through them._

_**No... No! Let... Let me talk to her...**_

_It was getting harder to focus. He could almost make out what she was screaming... Almost... _

_**Asuka... I...**_

_His eyes were forcing themselves closed. As the doors slowly came together, he was barely able to make out what she was saying..._

_It was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness._

"I love you!"

* * *

><p>So... I originally intended this chapter to be much longer, but, after going back and seeing what I've gotten down so far, and, the fact that it's been awhile since I updated, I figure I owe you guys at least this.<p>

So, here is a little snippet of what's to come. Do not worry, the next chapter will show what, exactly, brought Shinji to this point.

Also, some updates:

1: I have several ideas for new stories written down, and I hope to get them written at some point. Speaking of which...

2: "Broken Vials" will be the next story I focus on after "Promises" is done. I have a good bit of plot and stuff mapped out (And by this, I mean I have a little notebook with some random scribblings of scenes that will happen in the story) and I hope to get that rolling soon.

3: "Evangelion: Awaken, My Children" will also be put into production, so to speak, after Broken Vials. I still need to go and flesh out the plot a fair bit. I've never really done anything like that, so it will definitely be a stretch of my creative prowess.

4: Finally, a big thank you to those who have been keeping up with Promises since day one. I know I'm not the best writer, but I am trying to get better, and your reviews certainly help.

So, having said all that, be on the lookout for the next chapter in the next couple weeks or so. I have A LOT to put into it, so it will probably take that long to get it to a point that I feel is appropriate for publishing.

Welp, until next time, read, review, and most of all... Enjoy! :)~


	16. Keeping his word Pt 3

**Chapter 16: Keeping His Word Pt 3**

* * *

><p>Shinji awoke and found himself surrounded by a warm, womb-like darkness. He took a deep breath and nearly gagged as he felt a coppery tasting liquid slide down his throat. When he failed to choke, however, he quickly realized that he was surrounded by LCL. He slowly turned and looked in every direction, a dull pain running through every muscle. He raised himself up...<p>

And immediately slammed his head into a steel bulkhead. He flinched away from the impact and rubbed his forehead, feeling the bandage over his left eye as he did.

_What the..._

He gently prodded at it with his finger and winced as a sharp pain dug into his skull.

_What happened... Wh... Where am I..._

He focused for a moment, straining to recall the events that had put him in his current situation. He could recall small, wispy fragments, but a comprehensive whole was stubbornly eluding him.

_An Angel..._

_Bright lights..._

_The Eva's..._

_Rei..._

_Asuka..._

_Pain..._

"I love you!"

Everything else was a complete blur. No matter how hard he tried, he could not pull the memories to the surface. His head began to throb, so he decided to let it go for the time being.

_Now... Where in the hell am I..._

He reached up and began slowly running his hands along the roof of his container. He came across what felt like a switch, and flicked it. After a few seconds, a series of lights switched on, bathing him and his surroundings in a soft orange glow. As his eyes became adjusted to the new-found illumination, he quickly realized that he was, in fact, inside one of the Plug Tanks.

He looked around and took in the numerous wires and tubes that were attached to his body. There was a faint humming noise emanating from somewhere, accompanied by the steady beeping of the sensor monitoring his heart beat. He slowly felt down along his arms, wincing as his fingers ran over the I.V. needle inserted into his right forearm.

_Not this again..., _he thought to himself as he continued his poking and prodding, the memory of his last hospital visit still fresh in his mind. He was surprised, though, when he pressed down hard on his left bicep and there was no sudden flash of pain. He tried again in three different locations, but each time there was only the pressure of his fingers pressing into his skin.

_No bruises? What the... How long have I been in here?_

The thought of having been cooped up inside what was essentially an LCL filled coffin made the boy more than a little uneasy. The first tinges of claustrophobia began to creep into the edges of his consciousness, and he started looking around for some way to get out.

He ran his hands along underneath him and found a handle. Not entirely sure of its purpose, but deciding that whatever it did, it couldn't make his situation any worse, he twisted and pulled as hard as he could.

There was a distinct change in the note of the hum that surrounded him, before it cut out completely. This was accompanied by the lights switching from a soft orange to a harsh red glow as a tinny alarm began to sound. Two large vents on either side of him opened suddenly and the LCL began flowing out. In a matter of seconds, the tank was completely empty, leaving the boy to cough up the leftover LCL in his lungs. The vents closed back, and small cracks of light formed in the ceiling above him, revealing an exit hatch.

They coalesced into a rounded rectangle before the hatch retracted on its own and folded over to rest on the side of the tank, bathing him in a sterile, white light. Shinji covered his eyes as the tubes and wires attached to his body suddenly snapped loose from the walls and hung freely around him. He pulled them off, and carefully removed the I.V. from his arm to avoid any damage to the vein.

He began to reach for a small handle that had folded down, when a thought occurred to him.

_Wait... Am I wearing any clothes? _

He looked down and saw, to his relief, that he was, in fact, wearing a pair of tight fitting shorts. They were made of a material that felt very similar to that of a Plugsuit, so they allowed an incredibly wide range of movement. Satisfied as to the amount of coverage, he reached up and took hold of the handle on the side of the hatch. He slowly pulled himself up and poked his head out of the tank.

The relatively small amount of light coming in through the hatch had done little to prepare him as he stood up and looked around. His uncovered eye kept wanting to close, but he forced it open, trying to get it to adjust. He blinked several times and put his hand to his forehead to act as a shade. He looked around and took in his surroundings.

He didn't recognize where he was at first, but he quickly remembered when he say the doors leading to Unit 01's hangar.

"So... That's where they put these things...", he spoke, his voice gruff, his throat scratchy, before adding almost offhandedly, "I'm thirsty..."

He looked around for some sort of ladder to climb down from the tank, and instantly regretted it. He looked down and saw that he was currently suspended some 10 or 15 stories above the floor, and nearly fell backwards. His vision blurred and his breath starting coming in short, quick gasps. He latched onto the sides of the tank and forced his eye open.

"Come on, Shinji... Calm down... You're fine...", he said through clenched teeth.

He stood like this for several minutes, until he managed to get his breathing back under control, and his heartbeat back to an acceptable level. He heard the faint sound of footsteps and ventured another look over the side.

A small group of technicians were making their way towards the tank area. Shinji noticed, with a slight chuckle, that leading the group was a certain purple-haired major. She called out to him and he responded with a small wave. He watched as they ran to a railed off personnel lift and began ascending towards him.

Within a few moments they had climbed to the level of the tanks. Shinji didn't even have time to say hello before he found himself enveloped in one Misato Katsuragi's ample bosom.

"Shinji!", she cried as she hugged the boy tight, small tears making their way down her cheeks.

"Mrmmpghh!", was all Shinji could get out. Misato realized that she was probably starving the boy of air and released him, though not completely.

"Oh, God.. I'm sorry! Are you okay?", she asked as the boy inhaled a deep lungful of blessed oxygen, "I.. I forgot again..."

"It's okay, Misato...", he managed to get out between chuckles. They both went to say something at the same time, but stopped. They looked at each other, grinning, as Misato pulled him into a warm embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay...", she whispered softly. Shinji just smiled.

They stood like this for a few moments, the other technicians completely forgotten, before they separated. Shinji crossed his arms over his chest and shivered involuntarily.

Misato blinked at this before her eyes flew open with recognition.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!", she exclaimed as she brought up a thick blanket from behind her, "I thought you might need this..."

He gratefully took the blanket and threw it over his shoulders before pulling it tightly around his chest.

"Thanks, Misato..", he said, his shivers gradually subsiding, "So... Do you think we could come down from here? I need a shower, and I'm kind of hungry..."

Misato giggled softly before backing down off of the side of the tank, offering her hand to Shinji. He stepped down as well and was immediately surrounded by technicians, every one of which was carrying some sort of scanning device. As they went about fussing over the Plug Tank, Ritsuko walked up and laid a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back, Shinji...", she spoke softly as she wrapped him in an awkward embrace. Shinji was taken by surprise at the usually stoic doctor's show of affection, so it took him a moment before he returned the hug, "We, uh.. We were worried about you..."

Shinji frowned for a moment as he stood in Ritsuko's embrace.

_Worried... About what?_

_What happened to me? _

_What did I do?_

They stood together for a few more moments before Misato playfully wedged herself between them.

"Hey now, Ritsy...", she giggled, "Don't go getting any ideas... Shinji is _mine..."_

Misato had to chuckle when both party's cheeks went a deep shade of crimson. Ritsuko quickly released Shinji and stepped back, covering her mouth with her fist as she cleared her throat.

"Well then... Ummm, I.. Uh...", she stammered as Misato stood by, grinning widely. Ritsuko noticed this, and quickly regained her composure, "Misato, once Shinji is cleaned up, have him report to Med Bay 2. I have some tests I need to conduct."

With that, she turned on her heel and went to walk off, only to discover that she was, in fact, still on a platform some 100 feet in the air. She ventured a glance behind her and, seeing that Misato's grin was not only still firmly in place, but had grown ever so slightly, decided to help one of the technicians as they went over the results of their scans.

"Wow, Shinji...", Misato spoke after a few moments, "I think you're the first one I've ever seen her hug like that. Not even her own mother..."

Shinji took the comment without a sound. He knew Ritsuko wasn't the touchy-feely type. Hell... She was barely the "Hey there, how are you" kind of type. He had a distinct suspicion that whatever was behind her rare showing of affection probably had a lot to do with whatever it was he did during the battle.

Misato noticed Shinji frowning and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?"

Shinji started slightly and looked to his guardian.

"Yeah.. Yeah... I'm fine. Just... Thinking..."

"About what?"

"Well... I...", he paused, his brow furrowing for a moment, "What happened to me, Misato? I mean, what did I do during the battle?"

A thought hit him.

"What happened to Rei and Asuka?"

The Major's eyes dropped momentarily, and her hand tightened its grip on his shoulder ever so slightly.

"You mean... You... You don't remember?", she asked after a moment, her voice low, "You don't remember at all?"

Shinji's heart dropped.

"Are Asuka and Rei... Are they okay?", he asked, his voice slightly choked, "Oh.. God, Misato... Please... Tell me they're alright..."

The relief that washed over him when she nodded her head nearly sent him to his knees.

"Thank God...", he spoke, unable to hide the emotion in his voice, "Are they awake? Can I see them?"

"Not yet, Shinji", Misato replied. When the expected retort didn't come, she continued, "We have to make sure you weren't, well... Contaminated during the battle. And then we have to debrief you..."

The last part she said with noticeable apprehension. His gaze dropped to the floor,

_What does that mean? I've been debriefed before... God... What _did _I do?_

Misato saw Shinji slump a little and laid her hand on his shoulder. She turned him towards her and looked him in the eye.

"Shinji... Don't worry... You did nothing wrong...", she spoke softly, lifting the boy's sagging chin with her bent index finger, "You saved us. I know you can't remember much right now, but... Trust me. I've never been more proud of you."

Shinji lifted his eyes and met Misato's. She was smiling and he found himself doing the same.

"Now come on", she continued, "Let's get down from here. I hate heights. And, you might like a hot shower and a warm meal, I think."

"Misato, there is nothing in this world I would love more than that...", Shinji replied.

"Alrighty then!", Misato exclaimed as she walked over to a control panel and pressed a button. The platform began descending, and the techs began complaining loudly. It seems some of them hadn't finished their diagnostic scans quite yet.

"Oh shut it!", Misato barked, "I've got a patient to take care of. Your scans can wait."

There were a few grumblings of annoyance, but no one spoke up in protest. Misato grinned and turned back to the panel.

One hour, a shower and a hot meal later, Shinji found himself sitting on a cold metal table in one of the dozens of identical examination rooms that made up the NERV medical ward. He toyed absentmindedly with a stethoscope laying beside him as he waited for Ritsuko to get done with her other duties, namely, signing the copious amounts of paperwork involved with releasing Shinji to her for examination.

It never ceased to amaze Shinji that, despite the near miraculous levels of advancements made in technology since 2nd Impact, the core record keeping practices of nearly every organization on the planet still relied on pen and paper. It just seemed like such a waste of resources, what with the ever expanding list of features that modern tablets possessed.

As he sat pondering these things, he never registered the door to his room quietly opening and a blond haired woman entering.

The shock of cold metal on his bare back nearly sent him through the ceiling. He blurted out an obscenity as he jumped from the table and spun, a wooded tongue depressor having appeared in his hand. He held it out in front of him like a blade, ready to strike.

The the giggling began.

Ritsuko stood, completely unfazed as Shinji slowly lowered his "weapon" and took several deep breaths. She grinned as he closed his eyes and put his hand to his chest.

"God, Ritsuko...", he exclaimed in mock anger, "You scared the hell out of me! I swear, every woman in my life is trying to kill me!"

Ritsuko's giggling slowly died down as she walked over to the table beside Shinji and laid down her clipboard. She picked up a spare stethoscope and wrapped it around her neck

"Well, I am sorry about that, Shinji...", she said, "I just couldn't resist."

Shinji rolled his eyes and sighed as he sat back down on the table.

"I think Misato might be rubbing off on you", he spoke as he began fidgeting with his stethoscope.

Ritsuko chuckled involuntarily before pulling her own stethoscope up to her ears.

"Alright... I know your pulse is going to be a bit high, as well as your blood pressure, but let's go ahead and get this out of the way, shall we?", she started as she brought the diaphragm up to Shinji's chest, "Alright, you know the drill.."

Shinji took in several deep breaths and exhaled as Ritsuko moved the instrument around his chest. She nodded her head in approval and jotted down some notes. She pulled out a blood pressure cuff and Shinji offered up his arm.

As Ritsuko listened to the sound of Shinji's pulse, the door to the room clicked open and Misato walked in. She plopped down beside Shinji on the table and smiled. Shinji noticed for the first time just how red the woman's eyes were and frowned slightly.

"Misato, when was the last time you slept?", he asked, worried.

"Well, last night. But, it wasn't very much", she replied, stifling a yawn, "To be honest, I haven't had more than maybe five or six hours these past few days."

"Good Lord, Misato... Why?"

"Well, with all the repairs to the GeoFront and the Eva's...", she began, noticing Shinji's expression darken slightly at the last part, "I haven't even been home in almost two days. Asuka and Rei are still at NERV, so luckily you won't have that big of a mess to clean up when you get home."

"Well thank you, Misato", he replied before his brow furrowed slightly, "Wait, did you say Asuka and Rei were still here?"

"Yep. We're keeping them under observation for a few days", said Misato, "They were pretty banged up in the battle..."

Shinji looked down and a worried look crossed his face.

_Was it because of me..._

"..But, they're fine now", she finished after seeing the boy's reaction.

"So, when can I see them?", Shinji asked, looking from Misato to Ritsuko. The two women shared a look before Misato replied.

"Well, Shinji... We still have to debrief you, and I think Ritsuko wanted to go over the extent of your injuries with you."

A flash of disappointment crossed his face and Ritsuko, who had been comparing charts off to the side, walked up and put her hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Shinji", she spoke, "They're okay. You'll get to see them a little later, okay?"

He nodded and offered a small smile.

"There. Now... Let's get that bandage off your eye, okay?"

Shinji gulped slightly and raised his head ever so slightly as Ritsuko slowly pulled the tape that secured the bandage over his eye. He winced as the light hit his pupil, and he involuntarily clenched the eye shut.

"Now now, let me have a look...", Ritsuko said as she gently pulled his eyelid open. She grabbed a small tool and held it in front of his eye. A small but bright light flicked on and she put her eye up to it. After a few moments of inspecting, she leaned back and smiled.

"Well, it's much better than I was expecting", she said after a few moments. She let go of Shinji's eyelid and he gratefully clenched it back shut. She brought up a small mirror and handed it him, "Have a look."

Shinji slowly forced the eyelid to open as he brought the mirror to eye level. Like Ritsuko, he was expecting something much worse. However, what he saw caught him by surprise.

His eye was intact, and the only lingering effects of whatever had happened to it seemed to be a dark red tint that covered the entire sclera and a strong aversion to light.

"Wow...", he whispered, "I thought it was going to be, I dunno... Gone, or something. How long do you think it will stay red?

"Not sure, exactly", Ritsuko replied, "But not any longer than a couple of weeks. You had a lot of blood in there, after all. The redness is just staining from the exposure. The tenderness will probably go away in a few days. Until then, though, I want you to wear this..."

She pulled out a black eyepatch from her coat pocket and handed it to Shinji. He looked at it for moment before a broad smile broke onto his face. He quickly secured the band around his head and adjusted the patch until it fit perfectly.

"Well? How do I look?", he asked quietly, turning to look at Misato.

"Like a prepubescent Blackbeard"

"Thanks, Misato", he spoke, a droll tone to his voice. His guardian giggled and ruffled his hair.

"Alright Ritsy... Are we done here?", she asked, turning to the doctor, "I want to debrief him before the party."

Shinji's head popped up and he looked at Misato, confused.

"Oh... Right. I forgot to tell you about that...", said the Major sheepishly.

"That sounds about right...", Ritsuko spoke up, grinning at Misato's dirty look, "That aside, however, I would still like to share the extent of Shinji's injuries with him. If he's okay with that..."

The two women looked to the boy as he met their gaze with a confused eye.

"Ohh.. Well, Sure... I guess", he replied uneasily.

"Okay then", Ritsuko spoke as she grabbed her clipboard and pulled a small memory chip out of an envelope. She walked over and inserted it into the viewer mounted on the wall and waited while it read the chip, "As I said, Shinji... This might be a little shocking. You can say no, and no one will think any less of you..."

"No, Dr. Akagi...", he spoke up immediately, "I want to see. I need to know."

Misato looked over at the boy approvingly, a warmth spreading up from her belly to make its way to her cheeks. She reached over and gave the boy a soft pat on the back. He smiled at her and turned back to Ritsuko.

She nodded and started scrolling through the files on the chip, finally stopping at a folder labeled "S_Ikari." She clicked on it and brought up a series of pictures. She selected the first one and expanded it to fill the screen.

As she scrolled through them, Shinji's eyes steadily grew larger. He heard what she was saying, but not all of it. Small bits and pieces stuck out at him, and he found himself focusing on these and these alone.

_Dislocated shoulder..._

_Internal bleeding..._

_Five fractured ribs..._

_Heavy subconjunctival hemorrhaging in left eye..._

_Severe epistaxis due to blunt force trauma..._

_Fractured humerus in left arm..._

_Cardiac arrest..._

He sat in silence for a few moments after Ritsuko finished. Though he didn't understand some of the terms she had used, he did understand what cardiac arrest meant.

"So... My heart stopped?", he asked quietly, not looking away from the screen, on which was currently an X-ray showing his shattered ribcage. He brought his hand up involuntarily and rubbed at the areas where he saw cracks.

"Yes, Shinji...", Ritsuko replied, her voice low, "When we got you out of the Eva, you were in bad shape. You went into cardiac arrest shortly before we got you into surgery."

Shinji sat quietly for several minutes. Misato was about to take his hand when he finally spoke up.

"When did you say it happened? My heart stopping?"

"Oh.. Umm, it was right after we got you onto a stretcher and were rolling you to the OR", the doctor replied, "Right after... Well, right... Ummm... You want to take it from here, Misato?"

Shinji looked to the Major, a confused look in his eye.

"Well, Shinji... We had a little... Issue... with Asuka", she said quietly, trying to find the softest way to tell him, "She, uh... She..."

"Did she say that she loved me?"

Misato looked up at the boy, shock clearly written on her face.

"Wha... How di.. I mean..", she stammered while Shinji only grinned slightly, "You... You remember that?"

"Yes. Well, sort of...", he spoke after a moment, "It was like a dream. I kept yelling but nobody was listening. I... I thought it was just a hallucination, but... Now..."

Misato saw a flurry of emotions run across the boy's face and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Shinji, I think it's best not to think about it right now, okay?", she spoke softly, "You'll have plenty of time to discuss it with her once you see her at the party, alright? Now, aren't you curious as to how, with injuries as severe as yours, you managed to heal so quickly? Because I am..."

Shinji had to admit, he had completely forgotten about Ritsuko and her little slideshow. He just couldn't stop thinking about... Well, perhaps it's better he did like the major said and let it go for now.

They turned back to Ritsuko and motioned for her to continue. She nodded pulled up a schematic for one of the Plug Tanks.

"Well, Shinji, to be completely honest, we really weren't expecting you to heal this quickly", she began, "In early tests of the Tanks, the LCL bonded with the subjects and helped expedite the healing processes, but severe wounds like yours still took weeks to heal. While this is a dramatic improvement over the months and sometimes years it would normally take, it was still a relatively long time. In your case, however..."

She paused as she looked over his paperwork once again, shaking her head in disbelief.

"In your case, not only did the LCL bond with you, it did so at an astounding rate", she continued, clearly still impressed at the results, "In other patients, it took several days for the LCL to fully assimilate itself with the host's natural processes. For you, it was a matter of a few minutes. Within a few hours, your internal hemorrhages were completely healed... Within a day, your bones were already mostly knitted back together. To be frank, it was as though the LCL had a mind of its own."

Shinji took in all of this in silence. He reached up and rubbed his chest again without realizing it. Ritsuko took the silence as permission to continue, and did so.

"What's more, while you were out, we took a blood sample and had it analyzed", she said, "It appears as though the LCL bonded itself with you so well that we were almost unable to tell where your blood ended and where it began."

Shinji looked at her quizzically.

"So, what you're saying is that I..., well... That I can.."

Ritsuko knew exactly what he was getting at and interrupted him.

"Yes, Shinji. Your body is now capable of producing LCL on its own, albeit in very small amounts. We're not entirely sure what that means at the moment, so we'll be keeping an eye on you for the foreseeable future."

Ritsuko turned and flipped off the viewer and walked over to the other two. She sat down in front of Shinji and stared at him for a few moments. She narrowed her eyes and tapped the end of her pen against her chin.

"Amazing..."

Shinji looked nervously at the doctor for a few moments before replying.

"What's amazing, Dr. Akagi?"

Ritsuko smiled briefly before leaning back in her chair.

"Oh, just the fact that barely three days ago, you were on the brink of death", she said after a moment, "And now, you're sitting here, in front of me, in perfect health no less."

Shinji blushed, for reasons he couldn't really pinpoint, and smiled sheepishly. He was about to say something when Ritsuko continued.

"Shinji... You did a very brave thing out there", she spoke softly, "I know you can't remember much about it at the moment, but I want you to know that I am very proud of you. We all are. I know Misato has probably told you that by now, but I wanted to tell you personally. I... I'm not good with things like this, so... Ummm, I guess... Yeah, that's it."

She looked to Misato and smiled.

"So, Misato... You want to take it from here?"

The Major nodded her head and hopped down from the table. She headed for the door as Shinji followed suit. He gave a final parting glance at Ritsuko. She smiled warmly at him and nodded her head ever so slightly. He offered his own smile and stepped out into the hallway where Misato was waiting for him.

He caught her eye and grinned sheepishly.

"So... I guess now you debrief me, huh?", he asked, laughing uneasily as the pair started down the hallway to the elevators.

Misato sighed heavily, obviously not excited about the impending task at hand. She had watched the footage, hell, she had been thereas everything happened. The way Unit 01... No, the way _Shinji _had roared when he stood back up...

It was...

_Inhuman..., _Misato whispered quietly.

Shinji looked at her strangely.

"What was that, Misato?", he asked.

Misato looked at him, confused, for a moment. Her eyes slowly grew wide as she realized what he was talking about.

"Oh... Uh, nothing.", she stammered after a moment, "Just, uhh.. Just talking to myself."

She flashed her famous smile and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Ooookayy...", Shinji spoke, his eyes narrow.

They stood awkwardly for a few moments before Misato cleared her throat and motioned with her head to continue. The two NERV-lings started down the hallway again and quickly reached the elevators.

After a short ride deeper into the GeoFront, Misato lead Shinji down a barren hallway to a plain white door. Shinji recognized it immediately. After all, he and the other two Children had been lead to this very room numerous times after their battles. They were shown footage of their attacks and given pointers on how they should go about it the next time.

After the first few times, Shinji had become accustomed to it. He looked at the procedure as exactly what it was: A formality... Put in place by the UN oversight committee to ensure the Pilots were kept properly informed.

He opened the door and let Misato step inside first, doing so with an exaggerated bow and swoop of his arm. The Major giggled slightly as she reached along the wall and flicked the light switch, bathing the room in a harsh white light. Shinji stepped in after her and pulled the door closed.

"Alright, Shinji", Misato started as she walked over to a table and picked up a small black box emblazoned with the NERV logo and wrapped in red "Classified" tape. She broke the seal without ceremony and pulled out a small diskette before continuing, "You've done this numerous times, and you know exactly what I'm about to do. However, this time is a little, well... Different. The footage on this disk is very disturbing. I've already watched it once, and after this, I'm never watching it again."

Shinji looked at her strangely for a moment, and Misato knew exactly what he was thinking,

"I... I don't think I could, even if I had to", she started again, her voice lower than before, "To be honest, I wish I didn't have to show it to you, but it's out of my hands. I wasn't going to show it to Asuka and Rei either, but they were very adamant about it. And you know how Asuka can be."

Shinji grinned slightly, not meaning to. The worried expression soon returned, however, as he let it sink in.

"So, how did she.. They... Take it? I mean, you said it was disturbing...", he spoke quietly, his eye focused on some in-determinant point on the floor.

"They... Well, they took it better than I was expecting", Misato replied, "But you never know how they might really feel. I guess you'll find out when you see them in a bit."

Shinji nodded and they stood for a few moments in silence before Misato walked over to the screen on the wall and inserted the disk. The NERV logo flashed for a moment as the disk was loaded. It was soon replaced by a still frame of the three Eva's, obviously taken from a surveillance camera, as they lunged toward the Angel.

"Okay, Shinji", Misato spoke, the authoritative tone back in her voice, "What you are about to see may make you uncomfortable, but it is the decision of the UN oversight committee that you be shown this footage. If at any time you feel as though you need to stop, let me know an I will pause the film. Is that clear?"

Shinji answered in the affirmative almost immediately. He took a seat in a folding chair and leaned back, his fingers laced together on his stomach. His eye stared intently at the screen as Misato pressed Play and the images began moving.

He watched as Unit 01 surged forward, Prog knife at the ready.

He watched as Unit's 00 and 02 followed after him.

He saw the Angel slowly growing larger through the cockpit view screen.

He felt it as he willed the Eva to jump, leaving the ground behind.

He heard the power alarm blaring at him, only 120 seconds left.

He closed his eye, letting the events play out in his head as they ran across the screen.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I know I said the battle was going to be in this chapter, but for some reason, I just haven't been able to get it to work out that way. I've had this chapter written down for a good little while, and I think once I put it up, writing the battle will come much easier. <strong>

**And, before you ask, the LCL bonding with Shinji? Yeah, it's not really important. I guess I put that in there to emphasize just how strong Shinji is, ya know? **

**Welp, please, read and review! **


	17. A promise made

**Chapter 17: A promise made...**

* * *

><p>The three Evangelions tore across the countryside, their upper bodies lowered into a grappling stance. The blades of their Progressive knives glowed in their hands as they sliced through the air.<p>

Ahead of them, the Angel hovered, its arms hanging limp at its sides. Unit 01 made the first move, jumping straight up while maintaining its momentum, flying at the target as Units 00 and 02 followed suit.

As the Eva's began to descend, Shinji let loose with a mighty roar and took the knife in both hands. He prepared to bring it down on the Angel when an alarm went off. His eyes snapped to his display and he saw a flicker of movement.

"Shit!", he barked as he jerked the Eva to the right, knocking into the airborne Unit 02 and grabbing Unit 00, sending all three of them flailing towards the ground, "Look out!"

The Angel sent its impossibly long arms flying, slicing through the space that the Eva's had occupied mere moments before. Shinji landed in a heap on top of Asuka, the latter of whom was currently spewing a string of profanities in three languages. Rei landed several hundred yards from them and was instantly on her feet.

She took off back towards the Angel, the Eva's feet ripping apart a large chunk of highway underneath her. She lunged forward, her expression stoic, but tinged with a fierce rage.

_I will not let that monster hurt them... _

As she came into striking range, her proximity alarm went off and she had to strafe left to avoid the things arm as it shot into the ground beside her. She recovered, barely registering her power meter as it hit 90 seconds.

Another arm impacted behind her and she stumbled. She started to tumble forward and tucked into a roll. She flipped off of her hands and landed in a crouch.

She went to bring her knife forward, only to find her hand empty. She barely had time to let out a small squeak as she felt a blazing pain in her chest and stomach. Her mouth gaped open and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She looked down and saw the Angel's arm sticking out of Unit 00.

It was a terrible sensation... She could feel the things wriggling around inside her. Every breath was an exercise in excruciating pain.

She gasped for air as the pressure suddenly intensified and her Eva's feet began to leave the ground. She wanted to speak, to yell for help, but no words came out. So, she did the next best thing...

She started to scream.

* * *

><p>"Dummkopf!", Asuka managed to get out after a few moments, "What was that for, huh?"<p>

Shinji pushed Unit 01 up and off of her and rolled over before standing up.

"You didn't see that? We could have been chopped in two!", he yelled back as he picked up his Prog knife and flicked a sedan off of the blade, "You saw what those arms are capable of, we have to be careful around them, okay?"

"Yeah yeah...", Asuka replied as she stood up and brushed a tree off of Unit 02's shoulder, "Just don't get in my way, alright baka?"

She looked around.

"Hey, where's Rei?"

Shinji was about to reply when a panicked shriek came over the radio. He winced for a moment before realizing who it belonged to. He spun around and watched Unit 00 float into the air right in front of the angel.

_Wait... That's not possi... _was as far as he got before he saw the long black arms sticking through the Eva's midsection.

"_SHINJI! P..Please! Help!"_

Something deep inside of him snapped loose with enough force to send Unit 01 reeling, crouching down on all fours and flinging itself forward the same way a tiger launches itself after a gazelle.

"REI! ", he screamed as he tore off in her direction, leaving Unit 02 behind in a cloud of dirt and debris, "Let go of her _YOU BASTARD_!"

"Wha...", Asuka gasped as she too watched Unit 00 lift off and hover, suspended from the Angel's arms, Rei's pained screams making her blood curdle, "Oh shit! Wondergirl!"

Unit 02 surged forward as an alarm started screaming at her. She looked to her HUD and swore.

Back on the bridge, Misato watched as all three Eva's power meters hit the one minute mark almost simultaneously.

"Dammit!", she yelled before turning to Maya, "Lieutenant! Are there any surviving umbilical stations?"

Maya typed hurriedly for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"No ma'am. We're showing them all out of commission due to the explosion!", she exclaimed, the screen in front of her showing numerous red "X's" dotted across the landscape.

Misato nodded her head grimly and looked back to the main display.

"Looks like they're just going to have to make this quick then...," she spoke to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Rei struggled for breath, her lungs and belly on fire. The Angel's arms twisted inside Unit 00 and a fresh wave of pain swept through her, clouding her vision. She willed the Eva's hands to move, and grabbed hold of the black tendrils piercing her midsection.<p>

It was easily the worst feeling she had ever experienced. The creature's arms were so many things, yet they were nothing. They burned like fire, and they froze her hands. The armor around Unit 00's fingers began to steam and boil, rivulets of molten metal dripping to the ground below.

She let loose another shriek, calling for help. She half-way noticed her power meter hit :60 and quickly dropped down to :30, her life support systems kicking into high gear. Small circles of darkness began to encroach on her vision and she let a small whimper escape.

_Please... Shinji... Asuka... Help me.., _she whispered quietly.

From the corner of her eye there was blur of purple, accompanied by the roar of a man possessed. She briefly saw the flash of a progressive knife as Unit 00 was yanked forward.

She let out a strangled gasp as her Eva shuddered and she was overcome with the feeling of falling. She lifted out of the control chair for a moment before gently settling back down. At the same time, the pain in her stomach ceased and she felt the tendrils give way to the pressure of her grip.

The darkness slowly started to abate, and she realized she had yet to hit the ground. She looked up and saw the purple outline of Unit 01 as it carried her away from the Angel. She could make out Asuka yelling at Shinji to hurry.

_S..Shinji? _

A beam of light struck the ground beside them, blowing the two Eva's sideways.

* * *

><p>Asuka continued on towards the Angel, her Prog knives out beside her. She watched as the monster retracted what remained of its severed arms and tucked them back to its sides. They briefly took on their barrel-like form before shooting back out, this time towards Unit 02. Asuka launched the bio-mech straight up and barely avoided them as they impacted beside her, sending up large rents in the earth.<p>

"Dammit!," she barked as she landed in a crouch behind a large chunk of the GeoFront ceiling, a hospital, she noticed, "Shinji! Hurry your ass up! This thing isn't going to kill itself!"

A beam of purple light flew over her head and impacted right beside Unit 01 as it carried the damaged Unit 00 away. She watched as the two Eva's were blown to the right and crashed down, arms and legs entangled.

Her proximity alarm sounded in her ear and she instinctively lunged to the side. Not a half second later, her makeshift cover was sliced clean in two. A holding tank in the wreckage with 5,000 lbs of pure oxygen ignited in a massive ball of fire.

Asuka brought up Unit 02's hands to shield herself from the blast. As the heat wave quickly dissipated, she went to take a step forward...

… When her leg disappeared.

It was Asuka's turn to scream.

"SHINJI!"

* * *

><p>On the bridge, Maya was monitoring Rei's vital signs, watching the digital representations of her pain as they spiked on the graph in front of her. As soon as the alarm alerting them to yet another buildup of energy started blaring, she immediately reached over and flipped a series of switches under red covers.<p>

The two Eva's landed in a heap and the pain that lanced through Rei's body was immediately numbed as she felt the familiar sensation that came along with having her nerve connections severed.

She breathed a silent prayer of thanks for the Bridge staff as her midsection was overcome with a blissful, cold numbness. She gasped out a ragged breath and began heaving in massive amounts of LCL, her lungs taking in as much oxygen as possible. Despite this, the dark ring around her vision continued to advance. Small droplets of blood floated in front of her, and there was a bright red stain on the stomach of her plugsuit.

She tried to lean forward to inspect herself further, but a searing pain in her midsection sent her reeling. She lay back in her chair and tried to get her breathing under control and stave off unconsciousness.

_I have to stay awake... They need me! _

There was one problem, though...

She was tired.

No... That wasn't the right word.

She was exhausted, every ounce of energy suddenly sapped from her body.

_No! I...I have to help..._

She watched through two black circles as Unit 01 pushed off of her and pulled Unit 00 to itself.

"Rei!"

She turned and saw Shinji's face floating beside her.

"Rei! Are you okay?"

She turned slightly in her chair and offered him a small smile as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. She gave one final push to try and stay awake, but to no avail. She realized she was fighting a losing battle and decided to just let go. To just give in and let the darkness take over.

She wasn't scared, though. Not like last time.

_Everything will be alright... It's okay... He'll protect me..._

"Y...Yes. I am fine.", she managed weakly, her eyes beginning to close, "Y.. You saved me, Ikari-kun... Thank you..."

With that, the girl's body went limp, her head lolling to one side. Shinji could see her breathing slow, signaling the onset of a deep, deep sleep. He wiped at the tears forming on his cheeks and gently laid Unit 00 back down.

Unit 01 stood and turned back towards Asuka and the Angel and opened a line to the bridge.

"Misato. Come in," he spoke calmly, his eyes drifting lazily to his power meter as it hit :45.

The Major jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. It was definitely that of her young charge, there was no mistaking that.

But... There was something about it...

Something...

Wrong.

Beside her, Maya gasped as Shinji's vital signs flashed an alert.

_I wonder if that's what he'll sound like when he grows up.., _Misato thought briefly before replying, "I'm here, Shinji. What's the situation up there?"

As if she didn't already know.

"Misato...," he replied after a moment, "It hurt Rei."

A shiver ran down her spine. She gulped before continuing.

"Y..Yes it did," she whispered hoarsely, her gaze dropping to the First Child's readout, "But she's going to be okay, Shinji. You made sure of that."

Maya was typing frantically at her console, trying to get the sensors to work properly, to stop telling her something that was clearly impossible.

Misato whispered to Shigeru to open the video feed from Unit 01's cockpit. The window popped up on the screen in front of her and for the second time in as many minutes, a shiver made its way through her and the skin on her arms broke out into goosebumps.

"Shinji?"

The image on screen was of Shinji, but, as with his voice, something was different.

Something... In his eyes. She could swear that they had changed somehow... That the irises had gone from grayish-blue to coal black.

He blinked and they returned to normal. The video feed skipped slightly. Maya grabbed Makoto and pulled him over to her screen. He took a look and his jaw went slack.

Misato stood, dumbfounded, as the :30 alarm began blaring and Asuka's pained scream for Shinji came screeching over the radio. She shook her head and looked to her screen.

Unit 01 had disappeared. Several small alarms went off, each one from a camera alerting them that their target had been lost.

"What the.. Where the hell di...," Misato managed to gasp before the screen filled with purple and green.

"Oh God... Shinji!"

Unit 01 was running.

No, that wasn't right. The term "running" would imply some sort of control... Finesse... _Something... _

Unit 01 was a creature possessed, its arms pulling the Evangelion along as its legs pushed forward. It clawed and tore at the landscape around it, throwing large chunks of earth and concrete skyward as it careened towards the Angel.

It took Misato a few moments to register that there was a transmission coming over Unit 01's com line. She pulled her headset back into place and her knees began to tremble.

_I'll kill you I'll kill youI'llkillyouI'LL KILL YOU!_

That was all the Major could make out before the line dropped and was replaced by a loud, screeching static.

"Shinji...," Misato whispered as Maya called for Ritsuko in a panic. The blond doctor hurried over and took a look at Maya's screen.

Her coffee mug shattered when it hit the floor, sending the brown liquid within spreading in every direction.

"My God... What has he done?"

* * *

><p>Asuka lay in a heap, her Eva's left leg gone from the knee down. She knew from all her years of training and conditioning that the pain flowing up from the severed limb was just neural feedback, that her knee.. Her <em>actual <em>knee... was still there.

It did nothing to help.

She contorted in pain, pulling her legs to her chest inside the plug, trying to tell herself that she was okay... That she could still fight. Unit 02 pulled itself into a sitting position, one Prog knife still in its hand.

The Angel was slowly bearing down on her, its arms once again hanging limp at its sides. Everything they touched erupted into flames as they dragged along the ground. A mangled delivery van simply melted as a tendril scraped over it, the fuel tanks igniting in an instantly extinguished blast.

Asuka watched as the Angel continued its deliberate, almost painfully slow advance. It was as though it knew Unit 02 no longer posed a threat. It approached the downed Eva as one would approach a deer after a clean shot; Optimistic, tinged with a slight bit of caution. Just in case.

The German pilot found herself slowly clawing her way backwards, Unit 02's one good leg pushing with everything it had. Her power meter hit :40 and she felt a small tear making its way down her cheek.

_Gott... I'm going to die..., _she thought as the Angel crested a small hill and entered within 300 yards of the Eva.

Then, something else...

_Shinji... I never told him... How I feel..._

It was that last thought, for some reason, that filled her with dread. She let out a small sob as the Angel slowly lifted its arms and...

A barely human roar filled her ears.

_I'LL KILL YOU!_

* * *

><p>For the first time in a long while, Misato Katsuragi was scared... Truly, undeniably scared.<p>

From the capabilities of the Angel, to what Ritsuko was trying to explain to her about Shinji, the purple-haired Major was quite literally shaking in her boots. She realized this, and willed them to stop.

_NO, DAMMIT! Not now! You are in control here... NOW ACT LIKE IT!_

"Ritsuko! Calm down!" she shouted as she grabbed the blond doctor by her lapel, pulling the stammering woman to her, "Slow down, and start from the beginning... What, exactly are you telling me?"

Ritsuko took a deep breath and Misato released her. She sank slightly and took a deep breath.

"According to the readings, Shinji's synch ratio has been steadily climbing for the past few minutes," she spoke slowly.

"So? Isn't that normal?" Misato interrupted.

"Not like this..." Ritsuko continued, pulling up Shinji's screen, "We realize that the level of synchronization will vary during battle, but Shinji's has only been increasing. There is no variation. He's already at 143%."

Misato's eyes widened.

"Wait... So, what happens if it keeps going up?"

Ritsuko looked at Maya, who gave a worried shrug, and then back to Misato.

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>A flying tanker truck is an odd sight, to be sure. To anyone not currently engaged in a life and death battle with a monstrosity from beyond our plane of existence, the sight would be one to inspire awe and fascination and, truthfully, a slight bit of apprehension as they watched 40,000 lbs of steel and gasoline hurtle towards them at an incomprehensible speed.<p>

For the redheaded pilot of Unit 02, it was still an odd sight, albeit one that she was thankful for. True, the tanker wasn't heading for her, but she was still caught up in the ludicrousness of the scene.

Unit 01 had crested the hill, Shinji's roar completely overpowering the alarm that screamed at her from her HUD. He had calmly grabbed the discarded truck and in one fluid movement hurled it directly at the Angel's face. It of course came nowhere near actually impacting the surface of the Angel, but as its payload ignited into a fireball several hundred feet across, Shinji ducked and grabbed Unit 02.

He took the Eva in his arms and deposited it beside Unit 00, pulling the both of them behind a large chunk of earth. Unit 01 stood hunched over them for a moment, its upper body moving up and down as though it were breathing.

Asuka bit back the pain long enough to open a video channel to Shinji's cockpit, finding only static.

"Asuka..."

She jumped slightly at his voice.

"Y-yes, Shinji?," she stammered out, wincing as the words left her mouth.

Silence for a moment, broken only by the static coming from his screen.

"Are you alright?" he replied at last.

"Yes, Shinji...," she replied, her own nerve connections severed a few moments before as Unit 02's remaining power was transferred to the life support systems, "I-I'm fine."

And then..

"Thank you..."

There was a small chuckle, and Shinji's video feed cleared for a split second. Asuka could swear she saw his eyes glowing.

_What is happening to him... Gott, please... Shinji... _

"Asuka, I've gotta go," he spoke slowly, his words garbled as the static began to take over the coms line, "I'll be back, though."

"You better be!," Asuka blurted out, her hands gripping the control sticks hard enough to crack the plastic before she reigned in her emotions, "I mean... You better be, baka..."

"Don't worry, Asuka...," he replied as Unit 01 stood and faced the Angel, "You can't get rid of me that easily. Besides... We still need to finish our talk."

"Wha... What?"

_School... The roof._

Her eyes opened wide.

"Wait.. Shinji!"

But he was already gone.

The sonic boom hit a half second later.

"SHINJI!"

* * *

><p>Unit 01 reached Mach 1.2 approximately 11000th of a second before it impacted with the Angel's A.T. Field.

Shinji slammed into the console inside the cockpit, his head whipping forward and his nose shattering. He bit back the cry of pain before focusing it back into the Eva, blood pouring down the front of his plugsuit. Back on the bridge, Ritsuko and Maya watched in numb shock as his synch score jumped a full 30 points, easily passing the 200% mark and continuing to crawl steadily higher.

Shinji reared back and slammed Unit 01's hand into the Angel's chest, clawing at the skin that covered the core. The other hand shoved back the Angel's face, a beam of light erupting out and vaporizing two of his fingers. He swore in pain, the blood flowing over his lips spraying out and floating in front of him.

Somewhere, he heard Misato shouting profanity laced words of encouragement at him.

He grinned.

_:20 seconds; 245%_

The power meter was but a buzzing mosquito to him now, a minor nuisance. He redoubled his effort and shoved up against the Angel's skull, pulling the skin taut over the bony projections covering the core. He ripped and tore at it, catching small glimpses of the red orb contained within.

"Alright...," he growled, speaking less through his own mouth than through the Eva itself, "Time for you to die..."

He snatched his hands away from the creature and latched them onto its side. He put forth a titanic effort and felt the Angel move upwards. Screaming as the full weight settled onto his arms, he willed the Eva to lift.

"Fuck..."

And lift it did.

"YOU!"

* * *

><p>The impact was felt all the way down to Central Dogma as several thousand tons of giant robot and Eldritch horror slammed into the side of a mountain.<p>

Misato flinched as the lights flickered above her, her eyes never leaving the main display.

Ritsuko stood up beside her and went to speak, to try and console the woman as she watched her young charge straddle the Angel and begin hopelessly beating at the thing's chest.

"Misato, I..."

"SHINJI!," she yelled, sending the doctor back a rolling step, "You can do this!"

"Misato! What are you doing?," Ritsuko demanded as she regained her composure.

The purple-haired Major turned to her friend and smiled.

_:10 seconds; 330%_

"I'm encouraging him, Ritsy," she responded before turning back to the screen and yelling, "Come on, Shinji! BEAT ITS ASS!"

Ritsuko walked back to Maya's console, stunned, as Misato continued screaming foul mouthed cheers at the display. She sat down beside her assistant and watched as Shinji's power meter hit 10 seconds. His synch score had long since ceased to frighten her.

Truthfully, once it had hit 250%, she knew they were going to lose him to the Eva. She had seen what their creations were capable of at levels that high, and his had just crested 350%.

_Goodbye, Shinji..., _she whispered quietly. Maya turned and looked at her, her eyes wide. She, too, knew the consequences of what was happening and immediately caught on to Dr. Akagi's line of thinking.

She turned back to her screen and watched Shinji's score jump five more points. She didn't notice the small tear running down her cheek until it dropped off and landed on her hand.

With each impact, the seconds ticked down. He screamed again, his vocal chords on the verge of snapping. He felt his left shoulder dislocate as he flung his arm back, bone grinding against bone, and ignored it.

He had to beat it. He had to beat the Angel.

_:5 seconds; 375%_

A black tendril shot out, wrapping around his left forearm and squeezing. Inside the Plug, he watched as his own arm bent backwards at a wrong angle, the bone snapping and poking through the skin.

A white pain shot up his arm and into his vision, his scream growing louder.

"N-no! NOOO! I... I have to do this!"

_:4 seconds; 385%_

Misato's cries were cut short when Shinji's arm shattered. A small sound escaped her lips as she watched the boy recoil in pain before tearing back into the Angel.

_:3 seconds; 390%_

The video feed began to skip and fuzz over with static, Shigeru poised to dive into the fray if need be. Misato began to shake and Ritsuko stood up and put her arm around the woman.

"I... I'm sorry, Misato...," she spoke softly.

The pain was unbelievable. With every hit, his vision clouded a little more. The tears floated and mingled with his blood in the LCL.

"Come on!," he screamed at nothing, "Come on, damnit! Just... die!"

The flesh finally seemed to soften, and he grabbed a fist full and pulled. There was a great tearing sound as a large fold pulled away, the core finally exposed.

_:2 seconds; 395%_

"Die, damn you!"

The purple fist impacted the core, a great ringing reverberating out from the strike.

_:1 second; 399%_

But it was too late.

* * *

><p>Misato fell to her knees, carrying Ritsuko with her as she watched Unit 01 go dark. Its head slumped forward and its arms fell to its sides.<p>

Maya's hands began trembling and Makoto instinctively pulled her into an embrace, shielding her eyes from the scene before them. A muffled sob came from their direction as the girl began shaking all over. Lieutenant Hyuga could only stroke her hair and whisper softly.

"Shhh... Shh.. It's okay...," he said, his red rimmed eyes locked on the main display, "It won't be long now..."

* * *

><p>Inside Unit 02, Asuka watched <em>(Shinji) <em>Unit 01 slump forward, its last ounces of energy finally giving out.

She fell back in the chair, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

_No... It... It can't end like this... _

She pulled her legs up to her chest as the Angel began moving.

"Shinji...," she whispered, her vision glazing over.

* * *

><p>The cockpit went dark, the various mechanical and electrical systems powering down with audible whirs.<p>

"Wha... No!"

Shinji shot a look to the power meter.

_:00 _

"No! No!," he screamed, pushing and pulling the control sticks as hard as he could, the bones in his left arm gnashing and grinding against themselves, white pain flooding his vision.

The Angel retracted its arms, folding themselves into its sides before shooting back out, piercing Unit 01's midsection.

It lifted the Evangelion off of itself and let it hover for a moment before flipping it over its head and into a pile of skyscraper.

The Angel lifted itself out of the ground, its tendrils still stuck through Unit 01. It slowly turned and faced the downed Eva, its expressionless face shifting ever so slightly, the eyes seeming to narrow and the mouth curling upwards a fraction.

It was a look of pure hate.

It lifted the Eva again and slung it to the side, Unit 01's head impacting first.

Shinji slammed into the plug, his already shattered nose taking the brunt of the impact. He felt cartilage grind against bone and shrieked in pain, his cry going out over the radio.

The Angel moved again, lifting Unit 01 and slamming it into a small hill. It began to repeat this action, repeatedly lifting and slamming the Eva, the impacts displacing tremendous amounts of dirt and leaving deep trenches wherever the Eva hit.

The impacts could be felt all the way to Central Dogma.

* * *

><p>Every eye was focused on the display, watching as Unit 01 was mercilessly pounded into the dirt, the screams of its pilot filling the Command Center.<p>

Misato could only sob softly as she watched humanity's last chance begin to fall apart. Large chunks of armor were steadily breaking off, dropping to the ground below.

"_I'm so sorry..." _she whispered, something like regret filling her voice.

Ritsuko looked at the woman, a quizzical look on her face.

Misato looked up.

"_Shinji..."_

"_Please, forgive us..."_

* * *

><p>Asuka cringed every time Unit 01 hit, Shinji's screams jarring with each impact.<p>

She began to sob harder, but not because the Human Race was only a few minutes from extinction.

She couldn't care less about that. Not right now.

No, her cries were for the boy currently inside Unit 01.

The boy who was steadily being pummeled to death.

The boy who had saved her ass so many times.

The boy who was going to die to save it once more.

The man who had promised to do exactly that, back on the lake, so long ago.

The man she had fallen for...

The man she lo...

She bit back the last thought, the weight of it too much for her.

She let loose one good sob, her entire body shaking with the force of it.

The entire time, the mic in her plugsuit was still broadcasting. It picked up on everything, every sob, every sniff, and every cry. In particular, it picked up on one word.

One name.

"_Shinji..."_

* * *

><p>He felt gravity return with a vengeance as his chest slammed into the center console. His sternum took the brunt of the impact and his breathing took on a ragged, raspy note as several ribs snapped, one of them sticking firmly in his lung.<p>

He had no way of knowing that another sharp piece of bone was also now lodged in the outer wall of his heart, each breath digging away more of the flesh.

Weightlessness returned as he was lifted again and flung to the side, his left arm instinctively shooting out to brace for impact.

He screamed as the shattered bones within ground against each other, white pain flowing up from his arm and clouding his vision.

There was the sensation of flying.

* * *

><p>The Angel threw Unit 01 with the ease of a seasoned Olympic hurler, the massive bio-mech sailing threw the air before landing on its back and sliding several hundred feet before coming to a stop, it's head resting on a large mound of dirt dug up its wake.<p>

The Angel's eyes began to glow, and the alarms on the bridge began to scream.

Misato was inconsolable, her head buried in Ritsuko's shoulder as the Angel tossed Unit 01 away like a piece of garbage. Adding to that, the all too familiar alarms alerting them to the buildup of energy began bellowing at them, their levels steadily rising as more and more light gathered in the eyes of the Angel.

Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga became aware of a frantic beeping to his right and slowly wheeled over to his console, pulling Maya with him, the latter refusing to let go.

He typed in a short string of commands and pulled up the offending item.

Shinji's ECG window popped to the forefront on the screen. Makoto leaned in, unable to comprehend what it was telling him. He slowly extricated himself from Maya's grasp and pointed her head towards the screen. She wiped her eyes, sniffing a few times as she took in the information.

Her eyes widened. She turned to Hyuga and tried to speak, her mouth working up and down soundlessly. He turned to Ritsuko.

"Ummm, Doctor Akagi... I think you should see this..."

* * *

><p>Shinji slammed back into his chair, the air forcing its way out of his tattered lung. He gasped for breath, every intake of oxygen an exercise in excruciating pain. His shattered nose throbbed with every heartbeat, the flow of blood slowly ebbing.<p>

"Come on!," he gurgled through a mouth full of blood, "Work! Work, _goddammit_!"

A small buzzer began to sound and he barely acknowledged it before the blast hit him. He heard the chest plates give way with a great tear of metal as the LCL began to heat up.

He pulled his shattered arm to him and clenched his eyes shut as he continued begging for the Eva to work. To just do what he wanted it to do.

He heard a soft whimpering coming over the radio and he stifled back a cry.

"Please... Just get up," he whispered as the LCL continued to warm, bubbles beginning to form along the walls, "Please... I have to save them..."

"I have to save her..."

_**There was a strange buzzing sensation at the back of his neck.**_

His head snapped up and he looked around. His power meter was still flashing _:00._

"Wha..."

_**It quickly spread to his shoulders, then down to his hands.**_

He could hear Misato crying, Ritsuko's voice mixing in, trying to comfort her.

Asuka's whimpers came through, her sobs like needles in his heart.

_**It made its way to his legs.**_

His head flew back, images dancing across his vision.

_Misato and Pen Pen, their wreck of an apartment... His first day in Tokyo-3..._

_Rei, the blue-haired mystery... The empty shell she once was..._

_**His entire body was consumed by it now.**_

He took a ragged gasp of LCL, the liquid near boiling. Still, the scenes continued their ballet across the back of his mind.

_Ritsuko, the immaculately maintained dye-job... Guiding him in his first sortie..._

_Asuka, his co-pilot... The lake... The school..._

_**He could feel himself being drawn into the Eva, small bits of him breaking away.**_

"Rei...," he wheezed, his tattered lung long forgotten, "Asuka... I... I Promised..."

* * *

><p>Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, recipient of three PhD's in Computer Systems and Programming and two Masters in Medical and Biological engineering, could only stare at the screen in front of her with a blank look on her face.<p>

_No... It.. It's not possible..._

Beside her, Makoto raised a hand and waved his palm in front of her eyes. The bottle-blond genius blinked several times and shook her head, looking at him for a moment before turning back to Shinji's ECG.

"Dr. Akagi..," Maya piped up, her eyes still red and her cheeks stained with running mascara, "W-what does this mean? I m-mean, how is this p-possible?"

Ritsuko furrowed her brow, absently tapping a pencil against her lips. In the background, Shinji's repeated cries continued to echo around the command center. They barely noticed them now.

"We always knew this was a possibility, Maya," she spoke quietly, her voice low and level, "Ever since we built these creatures, there was always a chance of this happening. I just never thought..."

"Wait... Chances of _what_, exactly?," Misato asked as she pulled a chair up beside her old friend, "What are you talking about?"

Ritsuko looked at her for a moment, her eyes suddenly showing age well beyond her years.

"The Evangelions operate based off of the level of synchronization between it and the pilot, we all know that," she spoke, her voice distant, "The higher the synch level, the better the performance by the Eva. However, there was always the possibility that the pilot and Eva could reach a synchronization level that was, well... Dangerous."

Misato narrowed her bloodshot eyes as she dabbed at them with a napkin provided by Maya.

"Dangerous as in... How?"

Ritsuko let out a long sigh, a cigarette having appeared in her lips. She flicked open her lighter and put the flame to the tip, taking a long drag before leaning her head back and blowing a cloud over all their heads.

"To put it in layman's terms, the higher a pilot's synchronization level, the more the line between them and the Eva is blurred," she continued, still looking at the ceiling, "There is the distinct possibility that, if what this screen is telling me is correct, Shinji's synch score is well above that threshold. His ego, for lack of a better term, is leaking into the Eva, slowly invading every square inch of Unit 01."

Misato scrunched her eyes for a moment, her thoughts trying to catch up with what Ritsuko was telling her.

Some would take the purple-haired Major's delay in responding as a sign of a weak intellect.

Those people would be wrong.

True, the Major was behind the Doctor by three PhD's and one Masters degree.

True, she only understood about 1/3 of what Ritsuko said on a regular basis, at least when it concerned the higher functions of the Eva's or the Magi.

But, this by no means meant that Misato was stupid. It just took a little longer for the information to sink in. But when it did...

Misato's eyes flew open, her jaw working up and down as the words slowly came together.

"What?," she shouted, standing from her chair and staring at Ritsuko, "Are you telling me that... That Shinji is... Merging with the Eva?"

Ritsuko nodded slowly, still staring at the ceiling.

"Yep. If he keeps this up, we may not be able to get him back."

Misato went to reply. Well actually, shout and scream and kick would be the more accurate description.

She would have, too.

If every alarm hadn't begun going off at once.

"What's happening?," Misato yelled as she jumped up and ran to the controls, "Hyuga! Status! What's going on?"

Makoto ran through a series of commands at his terminal, bringing up several status screens and video feeds. Misato half-noticed that he did so with one hand, his other arm still wrapped around Maya as she softly sobbed into his shoulder.

"Ummm... Major...," he spoke up, his fingers stopping on the keys, the latest command left unfinished.

Misato turned and looked to the Lieutenant's console, the readouts all flashing numerous red warnings, less than half of which Misato could understand.

"What does all this mean, Lieutenant?"

"I..."

Ritsuko calmly walked over and, after a quick glance at Makoto's terminal, keyed out the rest of the command on the screen. Shinji's real time ECG popped up on screen, and Misato gasped.

"My God..."

Surrounding the boy were a myriad of colors ranging from the visible spectrum to the infrared.

That wasn't what bothered her, though. No, what really worried her was what, precisely, the colors were doing.

They seemed to flow out from from the boy, mixing and swirling before disappearing.

Disappearing... Into the Eva.

Ritsuko let out a sigh and took off her glasses.

"It's happening."

* * *

><p>Shinji leaned forward and grabbed the controls. What good it would do him, he did not care. His entire body was screaming at him, a thousand different points of pain.<p>

He ignored all of them.

He moved his head forward as the Angel's blast finally subsided, the front of Unit 01 a melted ruin.

His face scrunched with the effort. He focused all his will on making the Eva move, no matter how small the chances were of it working.

His nosebleed redoubled, seemingly impossible amounts of blood streaming down his chest.

He closed his eyes, focusing everything into his Eva. A new alarm, one he had never heard before, began to blare.

He felt himself stretching, slowly filling the Eva. He gradually became aware of his new limbs, his arms now 50 feet long, his legs twice that. Both were impossibly heavy, and he could feel the armor plates pressing down on his skin, sliding and adjusting as the limbs shifted, flesh and bone slowly returning to life.

His head felt like it was going to explode, the pressure steadily increasing as he felt more and more of the Eva come under his control.

_**There was a new sensation now... Something beneath the buzz, slowly growing louder.**_

Every blood vessel in his left eye burst simultaneously, coating half his vision in a deep red.

He felt it as the last nut and bolt clicked into place, Unit 01 completely his.

He wiggled his fingers and grinned when the Eva responded in kind.

It was time.

_**It sounded like...**_

Time to keep his promise.

_**A chorus of angels.**_

* * *

><p>So, here's the next chapter, and the first part of the battle. I was going to wait and post it when I had the entire thing done, but on the recommendation of my pre-reader (and the length of time since my last update) I'm posting the first part. Don't worry, though. I'll be working on the next part soon.<p>

Having said that, expect the next chapter to be the last.

And prepare for WAFF.

Also, shameless plug: I posted a new story a few days ago called "Evangelion: Changes." Consider it an attempt at humor. As with this story, read and review and let me know what you think.

'Til next time...


	18. A promise kept

**Chapter 18: A promise kept.**

* * *

><p><em>:00 Seconds; 400%<em>

Eyes open, glowing.

Red.

As red as the fires of Hell.

A shaking as the left arm lifted, the shattered limb covered in a blinding light. The bones and flesh writhed and shifted as they locked back into place with a sickening crunch.

Shinji lifted the arm to his face, inspecting the newly regenerated limb. His own arm lay draped at his side, ignored.

He grunted as he leaned forward and propped the Eva on its elbows, the shimmering haze of an A.T. Field supporting the bio-mech.

He brought his arms up and let them hang for a moment before slamming them back down.

The arms hit with enough force to launch Unit 01 onto its feet, the ground cracking and rippling out around it.

Shinji's lips parted in a demonic grin as he regained his balance, the Eva shifting on its feet for a few moments.

The locks over the jaw disintegrated, a shower of steel and sparks falling to the earth as Unit 01 let loose with a bone chilling howl, its voice an ungodly amalgamation of Shinji's and its own.

The Eva stepped forward as its A.T. Field unfolded from its back, coalescing into two large, orange wings, like those of a demon.

They flapped and Unit 01 lifted.

Maya let loose a wretched cry as they watched Unit 01 stand back up, its cry felt as much as heard.

Ritsuko slumped into a chair, a fresh cigarette in her mouth as Makoto pulled Maya to him again.

Misato looked on with numb horror as every alarm continued to scream at them. She absentmindedly walked over to a console and entered the kill command and they went silent.

The only sounds now were of Maya sniffling into Makoto's shirt and Asuka's screams coming over the radio.

_Shinji!_

* * *

><p>Power surged through him, every nerve on fire as he willed the Eva forward.<p>

The air around Unit 01 sizzled and popped as raw power flooded outwards in every direction as the meters on the bridge sparked and went dark.

The Angel hovered, its stance impassive. It watched as the Evangelion touched back down, the purple and green feet lighting softly on the ravaged ground beneath it.

Shinji was still grinning like a madman, a small trickle of blood running out from his left eye and dripping onto his lap.

The orange wings settled into a resting position, hanging limply at Unit 01's sides as he began to walk forward. The Angel moved back ever so slightly, a new sensation flowing through it.

It was a sensation it had never known before; one of apprehension and uncertainty.

There was something else, too. Something just below the surface, slowly spreading to fill every square inch of its being.

_Fear_

The Angel did not like this feeling. Not one bit.

* * *

><p>Misato flinched when the alarm went off, the buildup of energy around the Angel's eyes reaching levels too high for the meters to handle. Gauges and screens cracked and shattered as more and more light gathered around the skeletal face.<p>

"COME ON, YOU SON OF A _**BITCH**_!," Shinji bellowed, his hands clenching hard enough to crack steel.

The light coalesced into a ball, hovering for a moment before streaking out, a beam of pure energy that carved a trench in the earth beneath it.

It barreled towards its target, the Eva stopping its advance and raising its hands.

"Shinji!," Misato screamed.

In less than the time it takes for a synapse to fire in the human brain, the A.T. Field snapped back into Unit 01, the wings disappearing as an orange disc formed in front of the Eva's outstretched hands.

The beam hit.

Misato covered her eyes.

Shinji roared.

* * *

><p>120 miles above Tokyo-3, a NERV satellite hovered in orbit, its communications array pointed directly at HQ.<p>

Were someone to be standing on this satellite, they would have born witness to a small but incredibly bright point of light slowly flaring up near the coast of Japan.

They would have watched as it split into two pieces, each one branching off 90º. The beams shimmered for what seemed like an eternity, several dozen petajoules of raw power expending themselves into one nearly invisible spot.

The numerous cameras on board immediately focused in on the point where the light split, lenses and sensors zooming in while filtering out as much interference as possible.

The resulting image showed one solid, definitive shape:

The form of Unit 01 as it stood firm, the beam splitting around its outstretched palms.

* * *

><p>The beam subsided and Shinji lowered his hands, his palms smoking and glowing white.<p>

He let his arms fall to his sides, Unit 01's head lolling back and forth as if it were panting.

Misato watched as the Eva stood up straight and cocked its head slightly to the side.

"M-Maya...," she spoke quietly, "What's Shinji's status?"

Makoto released the girl as she slowly typed in a series of commands.

The results were as expected.

"I...I don't know...," Maya replied, wiping at her eyes, "The sensors are still going haywire. The last confirmed reading showed a 407% synchronization rate. After that... Nothing."

"Misato... It's not looking good...," Ritsuko spoke up, her cigarette burnt down to the filter, "There's very little chance of him making it out of this alive. I think we shou..."

"No! D-Don't say that!," Asuka screamed over the radio, "He's going to make it out of this. He has to!"

Misato and Ritsuko jumped at the redhead's sudden outburst. They didn't think the radio was still working.

"Asuka?," the blond scientist asked, "How can you say that? What makes you think he can survive this?"

"I... I can't...," came the muted reply, "I... I just know, alright? He's so damn stubborn, always getting out of these situations when nobody else can..."

A soft sob as the girl fought to control herself.

"Besides... I still have... Still have to tell him that... That I..."

She didn't get to finish.

An alarm started blaring, alerting them all to another buildup of energy.

Asuka let out a small sob and Misato clenched her fists as the main screen showed the eyes of the Angel begin to glow.

Ritsuko shut her eyes.

_This is it..._

They all jumped when Shinji's roar came over the radio.

* * *

><p>Shinji watched as the Angel began to gather energy for another strike, its eyes glowing brighter and brighter.<p>

He grinned.

"Not this time... Not again _**GODDAMN YOU!**_"

He screamed as Unit 01's feet left the ground, four-story deep indentations left in their wake.

The Angel shifted back, angling its head to match the ascent of the Evangelion.

The beam lanced out, burning the air as it shot towards the Eva.

Shinji rolled to the side, the beam slicing past him and impacting on a remaining section of the Geofront roof.

The Angel allowed itself just enough time to recognize its failure before two purple and green feet slammed into its chest.

The two combatants slammed to the ground, Unit 01 straddling the Angel yet again, this time with no power meter to bother it.

The Angel let out a quick series of beams, each one bouncing off of the A.T. Field surrounding the Eva.

Shinji reached down and casually ripped the skin off of the Core, the red orb glistening with the energy contained within.

Black tendrils shot out and wrapped around Unit 01's arms, its A.T. Field easily ripping them to shreds.

Purple hands wrapped around the core and pulled.

Shinji grunted, the front of his Plugsuit permanently stained red as his nose steadily poured blood.

He pulled and pulled, screaming for all of creation to hear.

Flesh started to rip and tear, the Angel's eyes glowing for a moment before flickering.

Shinji clenched his eyes shut and gave one final yank, every bit of energy flowing into his arms.

**_DIE!_**

Unit 01's jaws flew open and let loose with a roar that would make God tremble.

The core came free, red guts and arteries still hanging from it.

Shinji raised the red orb to his face, holding it with two hands...

…Before slamming it down across his knee, the orb shattering with a sound not unlike the tinkling of glass, a flood of red pouring down to cover the Angel's body.

Allowing himself no time to celebrate, Shinji grabbed the Angel and lifted, the dead weight of the thing straining every muscle in the Eva's body. His arms creaked and groaned as expanding muscle mass popped off several armor plates.

With a final growl, Shinji threw the Angel's carcass, the skin around the chest already beginning to glow.

_Asuka... Rei..._

Unit 01 turned towards where the disabled Units 00 and 02 were laying and launched forward, crossing the several thousand feet in a fraction of a second, momentarily becoming the fastest thing to ever exist.

He gathered the two Eva's to himself and focused his A.T. Field onto his back.

An orange haze spread to cover his Eva's backside, the topmost parts of Unit's 00 and 02 cradled to his chest, the Plugs within fully shielded by the A.T. Field.

He heard Rei whimper, the girl shifting in her sleep.

Shinji focused all of his energy into the Field, his vision threatening to glaze over. He snarled and clamped down, his teeth threatening to crack under the pressure.

Misato's cracking voice came over the radio, warning him of the impending blast.

Asuka was screaming at him, her words garbled and distant.

All he saw was white.

All he heard was the sound of his own roar.

* * *

><p>Misato was jarred back to reality when the klaxon began blaring. Ritsuko was already up and at a terminal, Maya and Makoto typing away furiously.<p>

"We have movement!," Maya screamed, her cheeks stained with mascara, "I can't tell... It looks like..."

A pause, followed by a sharp intake of breath.

"It's Unit 01!," she cried, "Shinji's moving!"

Misato jumped up and ran over, the Lieutenant sliding out of the way as the Major slammed into the console.

"What? He's alive?," she yelled as she fumbled to keep her balance, "What about the other Pilots?"

Maya keyed in a few more commands before gasping.

"He... He's carrying them...," she whispered, "He's carrying Asuka and Rei!"

Msiato turned as the main display flickered for a moment before coming back to life. Displayed on it was an image from a solitary surveillance camera, its lens cracked and muddied.

Misato watched, a smile on her face and a joyful sob slowly dying in her throat, as Unit 01 slowly limped across the battlefield, Unit's 00 and 02 cradled in its arms.

Asuka was screaming at Shinji to answer her, but to no avail. The only sound coming from his Eva was harsh, ragged breathing.

_He did it... He really did it..._

Misato turned to the bridge staff and cleared her throat, _loudly._

Her call for attention having gone unheard, she went with Plan B.

"HEY!," she screamed, every person within earshotstopping and turning to her.

"Listen up!," she continued, "We have three heavily damaged Evangelions coming in! I want retrieval and medical crews in the cages, and I want them there _NOW!"_

Everyone stood, frozen, until Ritsuko spoke up.

"Okay! You heard Major Katsuragi!," she bellowed, "You all know what you have to do. So get to it!"

There was a brief moment of silence, followed immediately by a resounding "YES MA'AM!"

Misato grinned as the NERV-lings started moving. Papers were sent flying and chairs were tipped over as hundreds of people simultaneously ran in every direction. Orders were barked and profanities were thrown as everyone rushed to their respective duties.

Misato's smile faltered when she heard Asuka's voice come over the radio.

"Shinji! Shinji!," the redhead screamed, "Misato, why isn't he answering? What's wrong?"

Misato turned and watched as Unit 01 approached an undamaged Eva catapult, the structure groaning under the weight as the three Evangelions began their descent into the Geofront proper.

_Shinji..._

Misato's eyes grew wide and she spun on her heels.

"Ritsuko!," she yelled as she started for the door, "I'm heading to Eva cages!"

"But wha...," was all Ritsuko could manage before Misato flew past her and out the door.

* * *

><p>The Eva lift cleared the final level and settled, locks the size of city buses slamming into place at the foot of Unit 01.<p>

The platform began to move, slowly transporting its cargo to the holding area. Shinji decided it was taking too long and stepped forward, Unit 01 walking the last 300 feet or so to the empty cage.

He took great lumbering steps, the two damaged Eva's shifting in his embrace. Metal groaned and creaked as plates ground against each other, steam still rising off of Unit 01's back.

He gently lowered them to the floor as Unit 01's eyes began to flicker, its movements becoming more and more staggered and jerky.

He reached behind the heads of the Eva's and pried off the plate covering the Entry Plugs, the steel tubes spinning out with a hiss. Large puddles of LCL formed under them as large crane trucks rumbled up underneath them.

He stood up and calmly walked over to Unit 01's cage, a swarm of technicians rushing to meet him.

_Asuka..._

* * *

><p>Asuka emerged from her plug and dropped to the floor. She took a moment to gain her bearings, her leg still aching.<p>

_Shinji... I've got to see him..._

She turned and sprinted towards a set of stairs, her wet hair slapping against her back.

A group of nurses were rushing towards her. They were pushing a bed and Asuka used the cart as a springboard to launch herself over their heads.

They briefly considered chasing her before the emergency exit on Unit 00's plug popped open, a half conscious Rei Ayanami feebly pulling herself out. She landed on the steel floor in a puddle of LCL, coughing up a great lungful of the stuff as the nurses reached her side.

They gently lifted her and placed her on a stretcher, her lucidity slowly returning. She blinked and turned to the nurses.

"S-Shinji...," she whispered feebly, one of her caretakers leaning down to hear her, "Is... Is he o-okay?"

The woman bit her lip, a worried look crossing her features.

"I don't know..."

* * *

><p>Shinji backed the Eva into its proper spot and let the locks engage before manually ejecting his own plug, the entire tube shooting upwards and spinning before releasing its LCL.<p>

The emergency door popped off and he reached a shaky hand out to grab the edge, pulling himself up and over the side. He dropped to the platform below, landing on legs like rubber. He reached out and latched onto a railing before coughing up a great gout of blood.

_I... I'm..._

He stood there for a moment, clutching his shattered arm to his chest. He looked around, half his vision coated in red. He barely acknowledged the mass of orange-suited techs running towards him as he stepped forward, a head of purple hair dodging and weaving through the throng.

Shinji stumbled towards a staircase, the red Evangelion below him his intended destination.

_I'm c-coming..._

An orange-gloved hand latched onto his shoulder and pulled him back. Shinji spun and snarled at the interloper, drops of blood splattering on the man's clear plastic face plate. The tech threw up his hands and backed away, an expression of pure terror on his face.

Shinji continued onward, missing a step and falling forward. He instinctively threw his hands out, his shattered left arm taking the brunt of the fall. He let out a pained howl before rolling onto his side. He pushed himself onto his hands and knees and vomited, red liquid spraying out and puddling beneath him.

_Asuka..._

Asuka bounded the last three steps and landed on the platform, her LCL slicked hair trailing behind her as she ran forward, her breaths coming in short, huffing cries.

Misato was calling for a stretcher as Asuka began grabbing orange suits and throwing them aside, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fought through the crowd.

She cleared the final layer and emerged into a semi circle, a shaking, bloodied Shinji laying in the middle.

Misato caught site of her and screamed for someone to restrain her.

Nobody moved.

Nobody _could_ move.

Nobody _wanted _to move.

_My God... Look at his eye..._

Asuka went to step forward, to run to Shinji, but found herself blocked. She looked up at the orange vest in front of her as the team with the stretcher made their way through the group.

The man was easily eight inches taller than her, with a thick frame. He turned to look at her with dark brown eyes and Asuka saw that he was American, his name badge reading something she couldn't make out.

He offered her a small, simple smile before turning to Shinji. He walked over and bent down, gently taking the boy by the shoulders. He lifted, spinning him onto his back before looping his arms under Shinji's shoulders and legs.

The man stood, bearing Shinji's weight with the slightest of grunts. He motioned with his head and the stretcher was wheeled over. He softly lowered the boy's battered form onto the thin mattress, the nurses already attaching sensors and I.V. lines.

Asuka felt a hand on her arm and looked over. Misato was tugging at her, telling her to stay back.

Shinji watched as Asuka ignored her, yanking her arm free and running to the stretcher.

He watched as she pushed a nurse aside and took his hand, his head slowly turning to look at her.

Misato wrapped her arms around the redhead's midsection and pulled, Asuka screaming and kicking as she was yanked back.

Shinji watched as Misato clamped down with all her might, Asuka's grip on his hand finally sliding free.

The nurses began wheeling the cart away, Asuka screaming all the while.

Shinji watched as they wheeled him through a set of double doors, Asuka getting out one final, definite call...

"_I love you!"_

* * *

><p>Misato paused the footage, Asuka frozen in time as she reached after Shinji. Her hair was whipped into a frenzy and Shinji could see the droplets of LCL as they detached themselves and flew out of frame.<p>

He leaned back in his chair and looked to the floor, his brow furrowed.

"Shinji... You alright?"

He looked up at Misato, the woman's face a mask of concern.

"Yeah... I think," he replied, his voice low, "I... I had no idea... I..."

He started to shake, every inch of him trembling as he tried to process... Well... Everything.

"My God...," he whispered, "I'm... I'm a monster..."

Misato walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder before dropping to a crouch. She cupped his chin in her hand and locked eyes with him.

"No_,_" she says firmly, "No you're_ not."_

Shinji tried to look away, Misato turning him back to look at her.

"Shinji... You saved us," she spoke softly, "You saved _all _of us. Don't you dare say things like that about yourself."

"But... Misato... You saw what I did... What I... Became... How am I not a monster?," Shinji whispered.

Misato leaned forward and wrapped the boy in her arms.

"Monsters kill and destroy...," she whispered, holding tightly as the boy's body began to shake, soft sobs muffled by Misato's shoulder, "...For no other reason than that's all they know how to do. A monster doesn't think about others. It doesn't put the lives of those around it before itself."

She pulled back, holding him at arms length.

"You do. You risked every ounce of yourself to save us. To save Rei... To save Asuka..."

Shinji sniffed and looked up at Misato, his good eye red and puffy.

"Don't think for a second that you are anything less than a hero," Misato continued, "I am very proud of you."

Shinji smiled faintly, lifting his patch to rub at the eye underneath.

"Thank you... Misato," he spoke after a moment, his voice regaining some stability, "I... I'm just not sure how to take all of this, ya know?"

Misato nodded her head, her hands still holding his shoulders.

"That's understandable, Shinji. I'm still not sure I understand what goes on around here _period_, so you're not alone."

Shinji chuckled, his smile growing. Misato let go and stood up, leaning back and stretching.

"So... Feeling better?"

"Yeah... Thanks, Misato," Shinji spoke, his eyes having cleared, "Say... Didn't Ritsuko mention something about a party or whatever?"

Misato's eyes widened and she whipped out her PDA. She looked at the screen and swore.

Loudly.

"Shit! You're right!," she nearly yelled, Shinji jumping as the woman spun and rushed to eject the disc, "We've gotta hurry! The party started almost an hour ago. Ritsuko's going to kill me..."

"How is that different from any other day?"

Misato shot Shinji a look that could melt steel. He wisely made a zipping motion with his fingers and smiled.

His brow furrowed, a thought hitting him.

"Hey, Misato..."

"Yes Shinji?," the woman replied from behind a wall of video equipment.

"That big guy that put me on the stretcher... The American..."

Misato poked her head around a large speaker.

"Yeah? What about him?"

"Who is he? He doesn't look familiar," Shinji replied, standing from his chair and rolling his neck, "I mean, he kinda sticks out like a sore thumb, ya know? You think I would have seen him before."

Misato finally managed to eject the disc and secured it in its case. She rounded the table and tucked the box in her jacket. She walked over to the door and opened it, her forehead scrunched in thought.

"If you don't know, then it's alright...," Shinji offered.

Misato shushed him as they exited into the hallway. They were almost to the elevator when she snapped her fingers.

"I think his name is Wade, or something like that...," she said, "He's only been here for a few weeks, though he's usually down in the lower levels. I only know his name because I bumped into him a few days ago on an elevator."

"Huh...," Shinji sighed, "It's weird I've never seen him before..."

Misato nodded, a small 'mhmmm' her only reply as the elevator doors slid shut.

* * *

><p>Asuka Langley Soryu was not happy.<p>

Not. At. All.

She had been sitting in the corner for nearly half an hour, the crowd around her completely oblivious to the frustration roiling just beneath the seemingly placid redhead's face.

It had been three days since the battle.

Three days since she had seen Shinji.

Three days since he saved them.

Three days since she had fought her way into the O.R. and watched his heart stop...

Asuka bit back a small shudder.

_No... Stop it, Asuka... He'll be alright._

She took another sip of the too sweet punch and looked around.

The party had been going on for roughly an hour, the whole thing having been put together in less than half that time. As far as she knew, it was to celebrate a baby or something.

Or was it an engagement?

Maybe it was an anniversary. Asuka really wasn't sure, she had asked three different people and gotten five different answers.

"Figures...," she whispered as she glanced around.

It never ceased to amaze her at how freely the booze was capable of flowing when it came to NERV social functions. All it took was one person to suggest a friendly drink and the next thing you know, someone was dancing on a table.

It was usually Misato.

Asuka flashed a small smile as she continued looking around the room.

There were several dozen technicians milling around, all of them with some sort of beverage in their hands. Mixed in were members of the bridge staff and upper management, Kozo Fuyutski among them.

The old man was surrounded by several younger NERV-lings, all of them female, Asuka noticed. They were obviously inebriated and were playfully hanging off of him, the Sub-Commander taking it all in stride, a regal grin on the old man's lips.

Asuka shook her head and turned her attention to the far corner, where Makoto and Maya were currently performing an experiment to see how far they could get their tongues down each others throats.

Shigeru was filming it on his PDA.

"Pervert...," Asuka mumbled.

_Although... When Shinji gets back... Maybe **we **could..._

Asuka's eyes flew open and a small squeak escaped her lips.

She looked around, worried if anyone had heard her, realized how stupid that was and took another sip of punch.

There was a small sound to Asuka's right, and she turned her head and watched as Rei stared at her plate, a completely untouched piece of cake resting on it. They were both dressed in matching pairs of NERV issue sweatpants and shirts, the gray garments two sizes too big for either of them, and they had to keep adjusting the fabric to prevent the shirts from falling off their shoulders.

Asuka looked up and snorted slightly.

Someone had apparently deemed it appropriate to fit Rei with a conical party hat, the garish red thing sitting cockeyed on the girl's head. Blue and white plastic streamers sprung from the tip and mixed in with the girl's hair.

"Rei...," Asuka spoke up.

The girl looked up.

"Yes, Asuka?"

"..."

"Nevermind..."

Rei tilted her head to one side and gave Asuka a quizzical look before shrugging and turning back to her plate. She poked at the cake with her fork before setting it on the table. She let out a small sigh and leaned back.

"Something wrong, Rei?," Asuka asked.

Rei turned to her, a small frown on her face.

"I was simply wondering what this party is really for," she said, "I am still unsure. I have been told it is to celebrate an engagement between two staff members, but I am not sure if this is true..."

Asuka shook her head.

"I don't know either, Wondergirl...," Asuka replied, "I've been told three different things myself..."

Rei's eyes widened slightly.

"Do you think it could be for for Shinji? I have heard rumors that he woke up today..."

_Shinji?_

Asuka froze, her eyes wide as she stared at Rei.

"He... He woke up?," Asuka whispered hoarsely, "Who told you that, Rei?"

Rei scrunched her brow and looked off into space.

"I think it was Lt. Ibuki...," she replied, "I believe she is still in the room somewhere..."

Rei turned and scanned the room. Her gaze settled on the two Lieutenants in the corner and her eyes went wide. She instantly looked away and began stuttering.

"Oh... I uhh... Ummm... Wow..."

Asuka reached over and patted Rei on the shoulder.

"Yeah... Booze does that to people."

"I.. I'm just not used to seeing anyone but Major Katsuragi that inebriated...," Rei spoke quietly, "And even then, she somehow manages to, well... Not do _that_."

Asuka grunted in the affirmative before pulling her chair closer to Rei.

"Okay... Back on topic," she said, locking eyes with Rei, "When did Lt. Ibuki tell you that Shinji woke up?"

"It was right before the party...," Rei began, "I had inquired as to the purpose of this gathering from several other people..."

"Let me guess... You got several different answers, right?," Asuka interjected.

Rei nodded before continuing.

"Yes. However, Lt. Ibuki was the only one to give an answer different from anyone else."

Asuka nodded, propping her chin on her hand.

"Sure does lend credence to the whole "Shinji waking up" thing, doesn't it?," she spoke, a far off look in her eyes.

_Shinji... Please be awake..._

Her reverie was broken when Ritsuko walked in the room, a half-empty bottle of champagne in her hand. She quieted the crowd, raising her hands and slowly bringing them down.

"Shhhh!," she put her finger to her lips, "Okay everybody... Get ready..."

"Ready for what?," yelled a random technician, her voice slightly slurred.

Ritsuko shushed her and beckoned everyone forward, Asuka and Rei falling in behind the technicians.

"You're about to find out!d," she continued, "As soon as the next person walks through that door, everybody yell 'Surprise!'"

A silence fell over the group, the only sound the tinkling of ice in glasses.

Asuka and Rei stood on their tiptoes to see over everyone's shoulders, desperate to see any little thing they could.

After what felt like an eternity in the suffocating silence, the handle depressed and the door pushed open.

Asuka was knocked back as the other party goers began cheering. She scrambled back to the crowd and began pushing her way through, Rei following after.

"Excuse me! Sorry!," she yelled as she elbowed several people out of the way, the crowd slowly thinning.

She finally broke through the wall of people and crashed to the floor.

"Ummmph!"

Behind her, Rei slipped out of the crowd and froze, her hands covering her mouth.

The jubilation suddenly ceased, everyone in attendance silenced at once. Someone knelt in front of her and a hand appeared in front of her face.

Asuka took it without thinking looked up into the face of her helper...

She stopped breathing.

"S-shinji?"

* * *

><p>The elevator doors opened and Shinji stepped out, Misato behind him on her PDA. They turned and headed for the rec room, the sounds of merrymaking reaching them even at the end of the hall.<p>

"Well..," Shinji spoke up, "They're sure having fun. Hey Misato, what did you say this party was for again?"

The woman looked up from her emails and smiled.

"I didn't," she grinned.

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"Ooookay... So, I take it that means you don't know then..."

"Oh, I know alright," Misato replied, still grinning, "But it's not for me to tell. You're just going to have to figure it out on your own."

Shinji sighed as they continued down the hallway, the sound of a stray blowout making its way to them.

At length, they came to the room in question, the door of which was currently festooned in bright colored paper and copious amounts of glitter. There were banners hung on each side and over top of the door, each one denoting a different occasion.

Shinji stopped and cocked his head to the side.

"Hey Misato...," he spoke, "These banners don't make any sense. Is this party for an engagement, an anniversary or a new baby?"

He turned and found Misato smirking, her hips cocked to one side and her hands resting on them.

"Couldn't say...," was the only reply he received.

Shinji narrowed his eye at the woman before shrugging and reaching for the handle.

"Hang on a second, Shinji...," Misato spoke as she laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, Misato..."

Shinji let go of the door knob and turned to his guardian. Misato finished typing a short message into her PDA and deposited the device back in her pocket. She looked up at Shinji, her expression suddenly serious.

"Shinji...," she spoke quietly, "You know that Asuka and Rei weren't allowed to see you during your recovery, right?"

Shinji furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"No. No I didn't," he replied, "Why is that?"

Misato looked at the floor for a moment before speaking.

"Well, after we got you into surgery, Asuka managed to somehow fight her way in after you," the woman continued, "We managed to get her out, but not before she... Well, before she saw..."

"My heart stop?," Shinji interjected, his good eye staring off into space.

Misato nodded.

"Yeah. After that, well... We decided Asuka and Rei should be kept away while you were recovering to prevent any more incidents."

Shinji chuckled.

"Lemme guess...," he grinned, "That didn't stop her from trying, did it?"

Misato shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

"Nope. We had to temporarily suspend her access to the Plug Tank area," she continued, "Asuka can be fairly... Persuasive, ya know?"

Shinji nodded, his own smile growing wider. He would have replied had Ritsuko not popped up behind the two, a half empty bottle of champagne in her hands.

"There you are!", she exclaimed as she drunkenly grabbed Shinji by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug, "You're late, you know..."

Misato sighed and peeled the good doctor off of her ward, Ritsuko stumbling back as the bubbly sloshed around in the bottle, some splattering on the floor.

"Hey! Watch it!," she waved the bottle in Misato's face, "This crap's expensive!"

Shinji shut his eye and shook his head, his frown belying his true emotions.

Misato took Ritsuko by the shoulders and shook her.

Violently.

"HEY! Ritsy!," she yelled, "Show some control! You're embarrassing me..."

The doctor blinked a few times and shook her head. She looked from Misato to Shinji and back, her mental gears slowly finding traction.

"Oh... Sorry about that...," she said after a moment, "Got a little carried away there..."

"I'd say," Misato grumbled, "I don't even know why you're drinking that, Ritsuko. You know you can't handle your booze."

"I'll have you know I've gotten better!," Ritsuko snapped before taking another swig, "Besides, I have a reason! We're celebrating, after all!"

"About that...," Shinji spoke up, "What _are _we celebrating, exactly?"

Ritsuko turned to Shinji and opened her mouth...

...When Misato clamped her hand firmly over the woman's lips.

"Nope. Don't even think about it, Ritsuko," she said, "Shinji's gotta find out on his own. No hints."

Ritsuko's shoulders slumped and a muffled sigh came through Misato's hand. She released the doctor and adjusted her skirt. Shinji just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Speaking of celebrating...," Misato spoke up, "Ritsuko, isn't there something you're supposed to do?"

Misato nodded her head towards the door and grunted. Ritsuko stared at her friend for a moment, a blank expression on her face.

Misato grunted louder and Ritsuko's eyes widened.

"Oh... Right... I almost forgot."

With that, she reached behind Shinji, grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

Shinji craned his neck to see over Ritsuko's shoulder and look in, but Misato grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

Before she could, he managed to get a small peek. He saw several dozen technicians milling around with drinks in their hands and he was pretty sure Sub-Commander Fuyutski was among them.

Before the door closed, however, he caught a flash of red hair near the back of the room and he let out a gasp.

_Asuka..._

The door clicked shut and Shinji started to protest, but Misato shushed him.

"Be quiet, Shinji...," she whispered, "You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would you?"

He looked at his guardian for a moment, his head cocked to the side.

"Wait... Am I the surp..."

"Alright, I think she's had enough time...," Misato interrupted, her grin not too dissimilar from that of a wolf's, "You may enter, Master Ikari..."

She bowed out of his way and held her hand out to the door.

Shinji narrowed his eye before shaking his head. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, before stepping inside.

The moment he set foot in the room, the crowd erupted into cheers. Glasses were raised and drinks were spilled, but Shinji hardly noticed any of it.

His eyes scanned the crowd, poking and prodding every empty space for the slightest glimpse of Asuka or Rei.

_Excuse me! Sorry!_

The voice came over the din of people, high and sweet.

Shinji craned his neck, straining to see. A small gap was forming in the group and Shinji caught site of a bobbing mass of red hair as it ducked and dodged between people.

He took a step forward as Asuka burst through the wall of people, falling forward with a muted "Ummmph!"

Shinji stepped forward and knelt, holding his hand in front of Asuka's face. She grabbed hold and he helped her to her feet.

Asuka looked up and froze, her thank you dying on her lips.

"S-Shinji?," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hello, Asuka."

Asuka slowly stood, holding onto Shinji's hand for dear life.

She stared at him, the grin on his face steadily growing bigger.

_He... He's awake..._

Shinji squeezed her hand once before gently letting it drop back to her side. Asuka stood, frozen, not even noticing Rei as she made her way to the two, her pale cheeks shiny with tears.

"I-Ikari-kun?," she whispered, her voice breaking. Shinji turned to her and smiled warmly

Asuka reached out and placed her hand on Shinji's chest, pushing on him gently.

He was real. He was there.

Shinji cocked his head slightly, vaguely aware of the slowly expanding circle of people around them. The party goers were slowly backing away, letting the scene in front of them unfold unimpeded.

_He... He's here..._

Asuka let her arm fall to her side as her hand clenched into a fist, the her entire body starting to tremble. He hair obscured her eyes and she fought back a cry, her breathing erratic.

Shinji bent down to look at her, reaching to move her hair out of the way.

"You... You died..."

He froze, Asuka's voice barely a whisper. He withdrew his hand and straightened up.

"I..."

Asuka snapped her head up and stared at him, her eyes red and puffy.

"You _died!_," she yelled, pointing her finger at him as she stepped forward, "I watched your heart stop... For 10 minutes!"

Shinji reached out for her, but she slapped his hands away, her glare firmly locked on his good eye.

"Asuka... I..."

She hit him.

As hard as she could, she slammed her fist into his chest.

Rei let out a small gasp and tensed up, her cheeks glinting in the light.

Shinji staggered backwards, his mouth hanging open as Asuka stepped forward and hit him again, with the other fist this time.

Misato stepped forward from her place to their and opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by Shinji's raised hand. He looked at his guardian and slowly shook his head.

"No...," he mouthed before turning back to Asuka.

_Let her have this..._

Most of the room took this as their cue to leave, over 30 people managing to disappear in a matter of seconds. Only a few stragglers remained, too stunned to look away.

"Why!," she yelled, her fists hitting faster and faster, each hit harder than the one before it, "Why? Why did you do it? All of that... You did all of that... For what, huh?"

She had stepped closer and there was hardly any space between them. Still, her fists flew, beating a steady rhythm on his chest.

Shinji stood there, taking all of it as Asuka screamed at him, the hits not even registering anymore.

"Why?," she asked over and over again, the impacts of her fists slowly softening, "Tell me!"

Shinji swallowed, looking down at the girl in front of him.

"Asuka..."

She grabbed hold of Shinji's shirt, taking it in two fist-fulls. She tightened her grip, pulling herself into Shinji, her face almost buried in his chest.

"Why...", she asked again, her voice barely audible through the fabric.

"Asuka...," Shinji spoke at last, "You already know the answer to that..."

Asuka tensed up and pushed herself back, her eyes unable to meet Shinji's own.

"No! Don't say it...," she whispered, "D-don't you dare say... _That. _It's not true..."

Shinji grabbed Asuka by the shoulders and pulled her back, their faces inches apart.

"Yes. It. Is.," he growled, setting his teeth and staring at her, "Asuka, I..."

He stopped, loosening his grip on the girl's shoulders. She still held onto his shirt, afraid to let go. As though, if she did, Shinji would disappear.

After a few moments of silence, Asuka finally managed to look up, to meet Shinji's gaze.

"You... What?," she whispered.

Shinji let out a sigh.

"Asuka, I went into that battle thinking... Well, I don't really know what I was thinking. I guess I thought we would just team up on the Angel and beat it. Well, I was wrong. When that thing took out Rei, I realized it wasn't going to be so simple. I know these things rarely are, but..."

Shinji paused, a flurry of emotions running over his face.

"When that monster took your leg...," he continued, "When I heard you scream... I... I lost it. I don't know how I made Unit 01 get back up... All I know is that I..."

Asuka stared at him, every ounce of her hung on Shinji's words.

Shinji let out a forced sigh and then...

He smiled.

"I did it for you."

Asuka's eyes went wide, the bright blue orbs shining in the light.

"The entire time, I kept thinking about Misato and Rei... How I couldn't let them down. But that wasn't what made me get back up," Shinji spoke quietly, "No... I heard your cries, and I just... I... Couldn't take that."

Beside them, a certain purple-haired woman was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check, small tears running down to her chin.

Her blue-haired ward was having no better luck. Misato wrapped an arm around her and squeezed tight, Rei resting her head on her guardian's shoulder.

"Asuka, I would throw myself into the pits of Hell if had to," Shinji continued, slowly pulling her closer with every word, "To protect the people I care about... The people I _love... _I would do whatever I have to if it means you'll be safe."

"But...," Asuka spoke, looking away, "Y-you almost died... You _did _die... For 10 minutes, I watched them try to bring you back... Why go through all of that... Just for us... Just for... _Me... _You ha..."

"Because I made you a promise."

Asuka stopped mid-sentence, her jaw slowly falling open.

"Do you remember that night on the lake? What I said back then... I meant it. I _still_ mean it."

Asuka's knees started trembling, every bit of anger slowly flowing out of her. She tightened her grip on Shinji's shirt, trying to maintain any sort of support.

"Shinji... I... Ummmph!"

He kissed her... Just pulled her to him and planted his lips onto hers.

There was no thinking involved. He just did it. Had he thought it through even in the slightest, there was no way it would have happened.

To their right, Misato Katsuragi let out a small squeak of joy, clasping her hands over her mouth as she broke into a huge grin.

Rei's eyes flew open, her jaw falling as she stared at the boy and girl in front of them

Shinji moved back, releasing his hold on Asuka's lips. The girl stood there for a moment, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Wow... Ummm... Sorry about that..," Shinji chuckled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head, "It, uhh... It just felt like the right thing to do, you know? Given the situation..."

Asuka continued to stare at him, her knees nearly knocking together know.

"So... Feeling better now?," Shinji continued, grinning like a madman, "If not, I could always do it aga..."

Asuka fell forward.

"Ohshit!," Shinji grunted as she tumbled into him.

Shinji wrapped his arms around her back as her knees gave out and managed to stop her fall. He gently lowered her the rest of the way to the floor, softly depositing her in a kneeling position, him sitting in front of her.

In the corner, Misato gently nudged Rei forward. The girl looked to her guardian, a quizzical look on her face. Misato motioned towards Asuka and Shinji and smiled warmly. Rei returned the expression and slowly made her way towards the two Pilots.

"Asuka... You alright?," Shinji asked softly, running his hands over her arms.

"Y-yeah...," she stammered, her bearings slowly returning to her, "That was... That was... (_Amazing_) Unexpected..."

Shinji chuckled and looked up, his smile growing wider.

"Hello Rei."

Asuka turned just as a small hand laid itself on her shoulder. Rei stood over them, her cheeks still wet but her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Am I... Intruding?," she asked quietly, looking away.

Shinji and Asuka looked to each other for a moment.

A small spark passed between them and Shinji nodded.

They reached out at the same time and grabbed an arm, pulling the girl into a hug, three pairs of arms intertwining into a mess of hair and limbs as Rei let out a small squeak of surprise.

"No, Rei...," Asuka spoke, "You're not intruding at all..."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Alrighty then. After several months and much procrastination, here is the next chapter. I know I said that this chapter would probably be the last, but... <em>**

**_Yeah. That didn't work out as planned. Don't worry, there's still a little more to come, and I have some ideas for some omakes and such. Needless to say, they will be posted in the next (and hopefully final) chapter. _**

**_So... For all those who have been waiting for this, here you go. As always, R&R and lemme know what you think. Be on the lookout for the next chapter soon. I promise it won't be five months til it gets published. :)_**


	19. Confessions

_**Chapter 19: Confessions**_

* * *

><p>An hour later, the three pilots found themselves seated at a small table, various party favors and half-eaten pieces of cake covering the tablecloth. They chatted amiably with Misato, their guardian leaning on her elbows, a persistent smile on her face.<p>

After their little episode, the party goers had slowly made their way back into the room, the music and revelry recommencing almost at once.

It was shortly thereafter that most people realized that it was nearly 10 o'clock at night, and some of them had graveyard shifts to report to.

As it was, the Pilots and their guardian had the room almost completely to themselves, minus the dozen or so stragglers who were separated into small pockets of conversation.

"I'm hungry," Shinji announced, apropos of nothing.

Misato stared at him for a moment.

"There's plenty of cake, ya know...," she said, holding up her own partially devoured piece to his face.

Shinji pushed the plate away as Asuka and Rei chuckled softly, the former leaning against the boy.

Shinji glanced at her and grinned before turning back to Misato.

"No. I mean for real food. How late is the cafeteria open?"

Misato looked at her watch and squinted her eyes.

"Ummm... I think there's an all-night diner type thing that just opened a while back..."

Shinji nodded and nudged Asuka. She moved off of him and he stood up, arching his back and yawning. He reached over and plucked a jacket off of a chair and shrugged his way into it before looking down at the two girls in front of him.

"That sounds wonderful. Would you ladies care to join me?"

He offered his hand to Asuka and smirked. She took it without hesitation and stood. She looped her arm through Shinji's own and pulled herself against him.

Rei stood and moved close to him, her hands wringing together as Shinji offered her his other arm.

She looked from the arm to Asuka, a nervous expression on her face.

"I... I do not wish to intrude...," she spoke softly, averting her eyes.

"I told you, Rei...," the redhead spoke, smiling, "You're not intruding. Shinji said 'ladies', and since I have shared a locker room with you and thereby know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are, in fact, a lady, feel free to join us."

Rei visibly brightened and took the offered appendage and they headed off, Misato's warnings of curfew trailing behind them as they entered the hall.

Misato watched the doorway for a few moments before pulling out her PDA and opening her email.

She sat there, the image of Asuka's arm looped through Shinji's putting a warm but goofy smile on her face.

She didn't hear the door at the back of the room open and close with a soft click. Nor did she hear the soft footprints as they made their way toward her.

She did, however, smell the remnants of cigarette smoke, masked slightly by the scent of expensive cologne.

Misato's grin grew slightly as she turned in her chair to stare up at the interloper, the loosened tie and sloppily tucked in shirt matching the loose ponytail and sloppy grin on the man's face.

"Hey there, Katsuragi," he spoke.

"Hey, Kaji."

* * *

><p>They walked in a comfortable silence towards the elevators, the normally bustling halls now nearly deserted. They passed a man riding an electric floor buffer and he nodded their way before disappearing around a corner. Asuka snorted slightly at the sight.<p>

"What was that for?," Shinji asked.

"I've never really roamed NERV this late at night before, I guess," she replied, tightening her grip ever so slightly, "And I've certainly never seen something like that before."

"They're quite common in supermarkets, actually...," Rei spoke up, leaning around Shinji to speak to Asuka directly, "I saw a program on television about them once, an American show called 'Modern Marvels', or something to that effect."

"Yeah, well... _I've _never seen one before," Asuka replied, "And I think they look stupid, to be honest."

Rei smiled and shook her head.

"Well, I think they look... Fun."

Asuka leaned back and stared at Rei.

"Yes, Asuka?"

"..."

"Nothing, Rei..."

Shinji only chuckled as they walked on, the three teenagers linked together as they continued toward the cafeteria, large smiles on their faces.

There was an easiness to their gait, something intangible but definitely real. They walked as though they were invincible, and for all intents and purposes, they were.

As far as they were concerned, there was no force on Earth, be it Angel or otherwise, that could break them apart. Not now, not ever.

Shinji quietly slipped his hand into Asuka's own and squeezed, the girl looking at him quizzically for a moment before returning the gesture.

* * *

><p>Kaji took the chair beside Misato and leaned back, an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. They stared at each other for a while, small smiles coming and going on their faces.<p>

"So...," Misato spoke at last, shifting towards him, "_Now_ you decide to show up, eh?"

Kaji grinned.

"You know me. I go where the excitement is."

Misato turned to him and narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Excitement?"

"You know what I mean," Kaji sighed.

"Mhmmm...," Misato grunted and turned back to her PDA, "I'm sure I do."

"Really? Because _I'm_ not so sure you do."

Misato put her phone down, slamming it harder than she had intended, and turned to the man.

"What's not to get?," she snapped, "If you think an Angel attack is exciting, then you c..."

Kaji silenced her with a look. Misato gulped, but didn't look away.

"I'm not talking about the Angel," he spoke softly, "Surely you didn't think you were the only one listening to Unit 01 and 02's radio chatter, did you?"

"What are y...," Misato started, but then paused.

_Asuka._

_Shinji._

Misato's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh."

Kaji nodded and took a seat next to her, his arm rubbing against hers.

Misato didn't object, so he let it stay.

"Honestly," he started, "I saw this coming a long time ago. I'm surprised it took as long as it did."

"Same here," Misato replied, still clicking through her emails.

She grinned.

"I mean, it's not like I didn't contribute or anything..."

"You always were playing matchmaker in college. I can't count how many of our old friends are married because of you."

Misato chuckled as Kaji leaned back and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. He stuck it between his lips and stared at the woman, his expression unreadable.

She pretended to ignore him, until she couldn't anymore.

"What are you staring at?"

"You."

Misato rolled her eyes.

"Well, obviously. But why?"

Kaji shrugged.

"Why not? I'm sitting here, you're sitting there. I like looking at you."

"Yeah, well... Stop it. It's weird," Misato grumbled, turning her head to try and hide the growing blush on her cheeks.

"Yes ma'am," Kaji deadpanned, snapping off a salute before leaning back again and staring at the ceiling.

After a few moments of silence, she chuckled and Kaji eyed her.

"What was that for?"

"Oh nothing. Just thinking."

Kaji sighed and leaned forward.

"Okay. I'll bite. About what?"

"About how we're going to keep this going. Shinji and Asuka, I mean."

Kaji looked at her questioningly.

"I thought it was pretty much a done deal, though. Especially after that little scene earlier."

Misato nodded.

"Yeah, you would think that, but I still don't think they've actually told each other how they feel, you know? I mean, the signs are right in front of them and are blatantly obvious, but... I dunno."

Kaji nodded his head, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Alright. I'm in. What've you got in mind?"

Misato grinned widely, teeth showing, and grabbed her phone. She stood up and motioned for Kaji to follow her as she began dialing a number.

"I thought you'd never ask. C'mon."

Kaji stood up obediently and followed the woman, taking in a good look at her posterior as he did.

"Are you staring at my ass?"

"Yep."

"Louse," Misato muttered halfheartedly as she pressed send on her phone and pressed it to her ear. It rang for a few moments before being picked up.

"Hey there, Rei."

* * *

><p>At length the three pilots found themselves in the cavernous NERV dining area, now mostly dark and silent. A few technicians were milling about, cups of tea and coffee steaming in their hands as they headed back toward the Eva cages.<p>

The faint sound of clattering dishes reached the Pilot's ears, accompanied by the tell tale scent of fryers and grills.

"Wow... That smells delicious...," Asuka spoke, rubbing at her belly as her stomach let out a loud rumble.

"Indeed it does," Shinji replied, picking up his pace as they rounded a corner and caught sight of the small diner, "Come on... My treat."

Asuka looked up at him, her look incredulous. Rei only giggled.

"You do know we never have to pay for this stuff, right?"

Shinji grinned down at her as they entered the restaurant. As expected, there were no other patrons and they selected a booth near the back.

Asuka slid in beside Shinji, keeping the bare minimum distance between them. Rei sat across from them and opened a menu, deliberately blocking her view of her colleagues.

Shinji looked over at Asuka and smirked, the redhead returning the expression. A waitress came and took their orders before disappearing into the kitchen.

The three Pilots sat in a comfortable silence for awhile, listening to the clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, punctuated by the occasional swear from the chef.

At length, the waitress returned with their orders and they dug in, their empty stomachs growling in appreciation.

As they ate, Rei began to notice a pattern. She watched as Asuka would occasionally look over to Shinji and smile softly, her eyes softening and a small blush forming on her cheeks. She would do this until Shinji noticed her lack of movement and he returned her gaze, small smiles forming on their lips.

As they turned back to their food, they both happened to look at Rei. She continued to stare at them, a goofy grin on her face. Shinji glanced at Asuka and nodded.

He then flicked a small lump of rice directly into Rei's face.

The girl recoiled with a small squeak, remnants of grain sticking to her nose as Asuka and Shinji burst out laughing.

"Oh Rei," Asuka managed after a moment, "You're so easy."

Rei stuck out her tongue and watched as her companions raised their eyebrows in.

"What's wrong?," she asked.

"Well, Rei...," Shinji spoke up, "It's just... You've never done that before. Sticking your tongue out, I mean."

Rei blushed and lowered her eyes.

"I... I'm sorry. I meant no offense. I just..."

"Rei, it's okay," Asuka interrupted, "It's just... Well, weird seeing you do that. Where, or who, did you learn that from, anyway?"

"In my downtime I have been watching various animated programs, most of them made in Japan before Second Impact. Between those shows and observing Major Katsuragi's behavior around other people, I assumed that this would be an ideal situation to try it out on my own."

Shinji gave her an approving grin and smiled before nudging Asuka.

"See? I told you Misato was a good influence on her."

Rei nodded.

"Indeed. I have also acquired a fondness for penguins. I find them... Adorable."

Asuka groaned and Shinji palmed his face.

"Aaand, there it goes."

"There goes what, Ikari-kun?," Rei asked, confused.

Asuka waved her hand.

"Nothing, Rei. Don't worry about it."

Rei only became more confused.

"But, I wish to und..."

She was interrupted by her cellphone, the tone ringing out loudly in the otherwise empty restaurant. It was a vibrant thing, and it sounded strangely familiar.

"Rei, what is that song?," Shinji asked as the blue-haired girl fumbled to dig her phone out of her pocket.

"It is the theme of my favorite TV show. The name eludes me at the moment, though. I believe it had to do with an angel's cruelty, or something to that effect."

Shinji and Asuka looked at each other and shrugged as Rei opened her phone and clicked answer.

"Hello Major Katsuragi..."

"Yes, I am well. The food here is delicious..."

"Yes, Shinji and Asuka are with me. Why do y..."

The two other Pilots tilted their heads as Rei's brow furrowed, her eyes dropping slightly. Asuka leaned forward and mouthed "What's wrong?"

Rei held up a finger, motioning for silence. She sat listening for a few moments, a small smile slowly growing on her face.

"Yes ma'am. I think that is a wonderful idea. I will meet you and Mr. Kaji shortly. Goodbye."

She flipped her phone closed, her smile now reaching to both ears.

"What was that all about?," Shinji asked.

Rei slid her phone back into her pocket and continued smiling.

Asuka started to fidget.

"Rei... You're creeping me out. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," the blue haired girl replied, "Major Katsuragi just wants to talk to me, is all."

Shinji and Asuka looked at each other, shrugged, and went to stand. Rei stopped them in mid-step.

"No no. Misato wants to speak to _me, _not us. You two are free to do as you please. I will see you later, okay?"

With that, she stood from the table and walked out of the diner, leaving the other two Pilots to stare after her.

"Well... That was weird...," Shinji spoke after a moment, leaning back on the bench and looking at Asuka.

"Yeah, well... if it has to do with Misato then you never really know what's coming," the redhead replied with a smile, looking at Shinji.

They sat like this for awhile, oblivious to the strange looks shot at them by the waitress as she cleared the table in front of them.

"Hey, I..."

"So, do..."

They both stopped and looked at each other, big, goofy grins spreading on their faces.

Shinji was the first one to speak.

"So, you want to talk a walk?"

Asuka thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I'd love to."

* * *

><p>As the two Pilots exited the diner, they were completely oblivious to the three people observing them from across the room.<p>

For good reason, too.

They watched as Shinji and Asuka made their way to an exit and walked outside, choosing that moment to emerge from the foliage of a thick artificial bush sitting in the corner.

Misato brushed some fake dirt off of her blouse and arched her back as Kaji and Rei did the same.

"So. I take it our little plan worked?"

Misato looked at the man and grinned.

"Not yet. But, I think we're getting closer."

"Good, because I'm getting tired of hiding in bushes."

Rei tilted her head at this.

"But, Inspector Kaji, I have only seen you do this once."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah... Well, I went to college with Misato. This is part of how she got all of our friends married."

Rei thought on this for a moment before nodding her head.

"I see. So, our hiding in the bushes will be conducive to Ikari and Soryu marrying?"

Kaji perked an eyebrow and turned to Misato, who in turn looked at Rei.

"One step at a time, Rei... One step at a time."

* * *

><p>The night time air was cool and crisp, any excess heat from the day having long evaporated as Shinji and Asuka made their way out of the cafeteria. They started down the main road that lead from the NERV pyramid and stuck to the sidewalk, the light posts bathing them in a soft, natural light.<p>

They passed by a lone Section 2 agent driving a golf cart as he made his rounds, the man waving and letting off a honk with the cart's small horn.

Shinji waved back, but the cart was already passing into the shadows beyond the end of the road and all he could see were the small brake lights flashing.

He turned his attention back to Asuka as she shook her head and smiled at him. He offered her his arm and they continued on their way.

At length, they came to a small hill a ways from NERV HQ proper. Shinji brushed off a small patch of grass and sat down, Asuka joining him.

They leaned back and stared out over the lake for awhile, neither of them speaking. A brisk breeze came rolling over the hill and Asuka shivered, pulling her arms around her chest.

Shinji saw this and pulled his jacket off, draping it over the girl's shoulders. She grunted softly in thanks and pulled the material tight around herself, leaning on the boy as she did.

"Hey Asuka?"

"Yeah?"

Silence. And then...

"Did... Did you mean it?"

She moved and stared at him.

"Mean what?," she asked.

He turned to look at her, and she gasped slightly. There was something in his eyes, something she'd never seen before.

"On that day... The day I almost died. After that Angel. Did you mean it?"

"Shinji, what are you talking about?"

He swallowed and looked at the ground, his eyes focusing and unfocusing as he searched for what to say next.

"When they were wheeling me away..."

Asuka's eyes widened, pieces starting to fit together.

"When you ran after me and said..."

He stopped and looked at her, his expression firm, but open.

"You said you loved me."

Asuka stared at him, her mouth working up and down silently.

"I..I didn't think you heard that," she whispered, a small tear making its way down her cheek.

Shinji nodded and looked at her.

"I did. I was blacking out and there was so much noise and pain but... But that came through loud and clear."

He reached out and took her hand, gently squeezing her fingers.

"So... Did you mean it?"

Asuka stared at him, her eyes glistening in the artificial moonlight. Her breathing came in short gasps and her cheeks were a deep red.

_He... Heard me..._

She looked at the ground, unable to speak.

_Tell him._

"Shinji...," she spoke up, her voice shaking as she inched towards him, "I... I..."

She looked back to him, and that was it. He was looking at her with that damn smile on his face, his eyes gleaming and she lost it.

She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him as she pressed her lips against his. Shinji let out a muffled "ummmphh" as they tumbled backwards.

She released his mouth and looked at him. He stared at her with a stunned smile as he regained his composure.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

Asuka nodded, a look of relief flooding over her face.

"Yes, Shinji. I... I've tried to tell you before, but... I just... It never felt right."

Shinji looked at her, a knowing look crossing his features.

"Was... Was that what you were trying to tell me that day at school?"

Asuka nodded, plucking at the grass in front of her.

"Yep. I think we both know how that turned out."

They chuckled softly as their eyes met. Shinji moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace.

Asuka giggled and buried her face in his chest, returning the hug as they sat quietly.

After awhile, she pulled back and looked up at him.

"So..."

Shinji looked around, confused.

"So... What?"

Asuka sighed, shaking her head.

"Baka...," she mumbled, "Don't you have anything to say?"

He stared at her for a moment, several expressions crossing his features before finally settling on a small smile.

"Yeah, I suppose I do."

He leaned forward, leaving only an inch or so between his face and hers. Asuka looked at him, her eyes expectant. He let her breath tickle his nose for a moment before speaking, softly.

"Well, Miss Asuka Langley Soryu..."

He paused. Asuka smirked.

"I love you too."

He closed the final inch between them and pressed his lips to hers, silencing anything Asuka might have said.

* * *

><p><strong>So. For better or worse, here's the big moment. It's taken me almost two years and multiple false alarms, but now it's out there. <strong>

**I know it probably isn't the best way to handle the moment, but I really wanted to get this chapter published.  
><strong>

**Having said that, this is not the last chapter. That comes later. :)  
><strong>

**So, enjoy and thank you again for reading.  
><strong>


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